Blood, Spock, and Tears
by myboygeorge
Summary: Uhura and Spock are about to celebrate six years of courtship...that is, if Spock's Vulcan biological cycle doesn't get in the way. Rated M for sexual scenes and intermittent language; set approximately 4 weeks BEFORE Breaking Bones! Enjoy!
1. Okay, Good Talk

'So then we are agreed, that the best option is to set a course directly for the Neruda system and make use of their invitation to refuel and resupply on the Downie satellite.'

Kirk looked around at his senior most officers during what he liked to think of as a 'staff meeting' time; the crew rarely liked to give up their personal time during the fifteen-to-twenty-three hundred hours shift for doing things that they could do in the morning or even during a quick and simple ship-wide broadcast, but then Kirk had other reasons for calling this meeting and his gaze briefly landed on those pointy-eared reasons before traveling to the pointy-eared reasons' girlfriend who was making a subtly obvious point of avoiding looking at him.

'Captain, are you sure it is vise do so?' Chekov asked, actually raising his hand and making Kirk remember just how young he was. 'I think it vould be much better if we used vhat little fuel remains to reach Asimov instead and then-'

'Nay, laddie, we've enough to get us to Downie,' Scotty reassured him, rubbing the back of his neck, 'as long as we di'nah run hotter than Warp Three, we can make it to Downie.'

'Aye, sir,' Chekov replied with a respectful little bob of his curly-topped head.

'As well, all crew will be allotted a full seventy-two hours leave. If you take seventy two and five minutes, you better hope whomever you meet up with likes you shacking up there permanently,' Kirk went on, catching the way Uhura's jaw muscles twitched.

'Your communicators will signal warnings to you when it is time to reconvene at the appropriate shuttle bay. Failure to do so is considered a dereliction of duty,' Spock reminded them all, then stole a fleeting glance at Uhura when she gave a little snort. 'Is everything all right, Lieutenant?'

'Just fine, Commander,' she replied in a coolly professional tone whose undertones were so snotty Kirk was certain only an idiot would miss it. 'Any other rules we aren't allowed to break during our personal fun time?'

'Well there are several regulations concerning the-'

'Oh forget it, Uhura, for him rules are fun,' Bones neatly cut across Spock's words with an impatient wave of the hand, then rose from his chair. 'If we are all done here, I've got some viral samples that need attention if I wanna get them into the incubation stage so I don't lose three months worth of research.'

'Dismissed,' Kirk told them, then tacked on like he was just remembering it, 'Oh, Lieutenant Uhura? If you don't mind waiting a moment, I was hoping to discuss that report you turned in regarding your diplomatic meetings from your away team mission on Barilko.'

He saw her eyes flash as the rest of the command staff passed her and waited until the doors had closed to sit back down. She primly crossed her legs and took out her tablet from her file bag with such precision it bordered on the scary; the sound of her bag hitting the floor with a dull thud felt more like a nuclear bomb going off. Kirk wasn't a patient man by nature but he'd had more than his share of pissed-off females to handle - in this arena, he considered himself a superior expert.

'Did you find anything unsatisfactory in my report?'

'Absolutely not,' he replied, rising to move down the table of the conference room and sit directly in front of her. 'Talk to me. What's going on?'

'What makes you think something is going on?'

'Because I'm fairly certain you'd rather have been tearing your green-blooded boyfriend to shreds in the holodeck's dojo program as opposed to being in this meeting tonight,' Kirk told her. 'I could all but see you wanting to leap across the table at him, so talk to me and tell me what's going on?'

To Kirk's utter shock, Uhura didn't laugh derisively or even sigh in frustration - she blushed as ruby-red as her on-duty uniform and picked at her fingernails. 'You're damn right I wanna leap on him, but I…I don't think that's very appropriate to tell my captain.'

'Then don't think of me as your captain. Think of me as the guy who you saw get an ass-kicking by Engineering Officer Cupcake six years ago. Don't forget, I wasn't Spock's biggest fan at first either.'

'He tried to get you expelled because you broke his precious test by cheating.'

'Never proven,' Kirk reminded her on a wink, and got a laugh out of her that helped break the waves of tension rising from his friend. 'Seriously, what's going on.'

'It's… it's personal,' Uhura admitted, her cheeks deepening their colour.

'Something to do with sex?' Kirk inferred, and when he saw her face nearly turn fuchsia, he knew he'd hit his mark. 'What, did he say someone else's name in bed or something?'

'No.'

'You bust him with some Vulcan porn?'

Uhura merely tilted her head to the side, and Kirk let out a gusty sigh. 'Then what happened?'

'Nothing!' she snapped out.

'What do you mean nothing…happened,' he said, the picture coming more clearly into focus. 'But..you guys have been together a long time, you can't be telling me that you two haven't-'

'Of course we have, Jim,' Uhura replied in annoyed tone. 'But lately, it's been like…like it's part of his checklist of daily routine. Dress self, check. Bang with girlfriend, check. Run engineering diagnostics, check.'

'I thought out here most women would treat bad sex as better than none, given that we're on a five year mission.' Kirk paused a moment, then shuddered. 'And please don't say Spock and banging in the same sentence. The idea of him in bed with anyone's enough to give me nightmares.'

'We rarely do it in bed these days,' she replied without thinking, 'it's always somewhere else, usually the shower. But it's not like it's just us fucking or something, he does the little things too, the kind that matter.'

'Like what?'

'If I'm getting ready for my shift on the bridge, he'll use his replicator rations to make me breakfast, or if I'm working, he'll send me an article he thinks I will enjoy reading. Sometimes he will ask me to accompany him to the holodeck and we'll listen to classical music in a program that replicates the Old Hollywood Bowl. Those are the usual date night things for us, and we're still doing those despite his recent rash of weirdness.'

'Well, sounds like he is trying.' Kirk frowned, lost his battle to hide the cheeky grin. 'You guys do anything else on the holodeck?'

Uhura felt the synapses fire in her brain, sprang up from her seat as her face nearly went nuclear with embarrassment. 'Oh forget it, forget I mentioned it, forget I said anything about…anything.'

'Nyota.' Kirk said her name just the once, which had her sitting once more. 'I'm not trying to mock, and if I did, I'm sorry. I'm just curious as to why you'd put up with it.'

'It's not bad sex, it's just become routine lately, like he's going through the motions to distract himself from something he doesn't wanna talk about.' She hesitated only a moment. 'And the last time was nearly a month ago.'

'A month? That's all?'

'When you're used to twice a day, three or four days a week for six years, a month feels like an eternity.'

'I'm surprised you haven't burst into flames yet.' Kirk let it slip out before he could stop himself, making Uhura flare her nostrils at him; clearly the half-Vulcan had more prurient interests in him than Kirk had thought if he was keeping the home fires roaring that hot. 'If things have gotten that bad, why not explore your options a little? You're an intelligent beautiful woman who could have her pick of men-'

'And I love him,' she finished, making Kirk nod.

'For reasons I can never figure out, you certainly do, and from everything I can tell he loves you too.'

'Yeah?'

The single word, infused with fragile hope, said oodles more than any litany of salacious details ever could have to Kirk. 'Yeah, he does,' he reassured her. 'Spock is more human than he realizes.'

'Still wish he could be more red-blooded than green-blooded some days.'

'Why don't you let me talk to him, see if I can give him a few subtle nudges?'

'Subtle?' Now Uhura laughed. 'Have you met him? He doesn't do subtle. Hell, I had to strip to my panties in his office at the Academy to get him to realize I wanted to sleep with him.'

'Bet that was an interesting morning after,' Kirk murmured, then shook his head. 'On second thought, I'm not sure how to help you without embarrassing the crap out of my first officer.'

'I'm not asking for help, I guess…I guess I just needed to vent to a man.'

'Which you can always do with me.'

'I considering talking to Doctor McCoy, approaching it like a medical problem.'

Kirk's face was a mask of amused horror. 'Are you nuts? Bones would do a space-walk naked for the chance to lord something over Spock's head, we both know that.'

Uhura laughed once more. 'They are best frenemies, aren't they?'

'Yeah, they really are.' He pursed his lips, then gave her a saucy grin. 'I've noticed that he tries a little too hard to stay focused when you are wearing that perfume you save for fancy dress-up gigs.'

'He says it clouds his mind.'

'Pretty sure that's Vulcan guy speak for, you're turning me on at a really inconvenient time.'

'How do you know that's what he-'

The doors of the conference room suddenly _wooshed_ open; panic was alive and screaming in both officers' brains when they saw Spock looking very disconcerted and out of sorts.

'Forgive my intrusion into your discussion but I have something of an urgent matter to discuss with the Captain, Lieutenant.'

'Of course.'

Spock noticed the way her tone had changed from the meeting; rather than hostility, he was met with something like forgiveness in Uhura's eyes. The Vulcan side told him that she'd required a private discussion with a trusted friend and her expression indicated a satisfactory outcome; the human side of him was annoyed that her it was Kirk and not himself that the lieutenant had clearly chosen to confide in about whatever it was that had been troubling her of recent days.

He waited until she was passing by him, caught her elbow and pressed his lips to her temple. 'Will you wait for me in my quarters? I found myself missing your presence there the previous two nights,' he asked her quietly.

'Yes, I'll meet you there when you're done.' Because she didn't have the ice in her heart enough to be a total bitch, Uhura turned and lightly kissed his cheek. 'Don't be long.'

Spock lifted his hand, stroked his fingertip over the place where the feel of her lips lingered on his cheek, then cleared his throat. 'Captain.'

'Mister Spock. What can I help you with?'


	2. Pool, Pondering and P-Words

Spock closed his eyes and inhaled deeply; everything Vulcan in him was screaming to stop the conversation before it began, that it was inappropriate to discuss something so personal with another Vulcan, never mind an outsider. On the other hand he was half human, and to feel as he did was normal according to the psychology journals he often read, and so he should embrace both halves at once which was easier declared than accomplished but-

'Spock?'

'Yes Captain?' He opened his eyes once more and realized he hadn't taken a single step further than the place he'd stood when he'd burst in on the final moments of his lover's meeting with their captain.

'Why don't you come on over here, have a drink and sit down?'

'I do not feel the biological need for a libation at this time.'

'Well I feel an emotional one for several.'

Kirk went to the panel in the wall, keyed in the code to reveal a well stocked wet bar with delicacies he and McCoy had enjoyed accumulating. Landing on an earthly classic, he grabbed the slender bottle and two heavy glasses; Kirk returned to see Spock staring at the neatly fold hands in his lap and got a little jolt as he realized how alike in body language the two awkward lovers were.

'Here. In the old west frontier days of Earth, cowboys often preferred whiskey.' Kirk nudged the glass in front of his friend, poured half a shot of amber liquor in, while Spock's frown deepened.

'Was there a beverage specific to female bovines?'

'No, it- never mind. What's got you in a funk?'

'Assuming that is an human colloquialism for why my current emotional state can be best described as unbalanced, you should know, Captain, that I feel very conflicted in divulging anything personal to someone not of Vulcan.'

'Yeah, I've met you before, I know you're not really into sharing.'

'That being said, I also know I have a human half that has learned through observing and participating in many of our crew's shipboard activities that male emotional bonds are often formed by the consumption of toxins while performing some type of public hall leisure task such as card games or miniature missiles. I believe…correction,' Spock amended, 'I know that I would feel much more at ease in our discussion if we were to perform such activities at this time.'

'Wow, you said _I feel_. It must be serious,' Kirk decided, downing his whiskey in a single gulp and giving his first officer a hearty cuff on the shoulder. 'Drink up, I have an idea.'

'I shall defer to your good expertise in such matters.' Spock took a slow sip of his whiskey, shook his head apologetically. 'If I am to ingest such poisons, I would much prefer the red-flowing wines made in the southern quadrant of New Vulcan.'

'Well, if you're not gonna finish that…' Kirk nipped the glass from Spock's hand, swallowed what remained. 'We'll head to my ready room, I have a little treat I've been waiting to try out.'

* * *

Despite knowing his friend was in a state of upheaval, Kirk was all but salivating to take his new toy for a spin. Safely in the confines of his spacious ready room he waved Spock to one side and pressed the new button on his wall panel. Instantly beams of light shot from the ceiling forming a rectangular table covered with green felt; there were several holes placed along the sides and in the corners, and in the middle were several brightly coloured spheres formed into a triangle beside which lay two long slender wooden poles that were tapered at one end.

Spock looked to his captain, whose face was, to borrow one of Bones' colourful phrases, lit up like a birthday cake. 'Jim? What is this holo-program meant to simulate?'

'One of those manly bonding activities you talked about. It's called a pool table, or a billiard table. Chekov whipped this up for a birthday gift but he's needed a few weeks to work out the kinks.'

'What are the parameters and end goal?'

'There are a few different games that can be played, but we'll stick to the basics.' Kirk gave him a brief overview of playing eight-ball, let his friend perform the break to get the feel for the way shots were made; impressively yet unsurprisingly Spock managed to sink two stripes and a solid with the first shot. Pool was if nothing a game of calculation and physics, not to mention a great way for Kirk to get his pal to loosen the rusty hinges of his tongue.

'So, what is going on that you wanted to talk in private about?' he inquired, lining up his shot.

'Pon farr.'

Kirk's hand jerked so hard he lost his balance and felt the solid _thud_ of his chest against the simulated green felt. Carefully planting his palm on the table-top, Kirk righted himself and turned to see Spock looking as uneasy as Kirk had ever seen him - which was to say never, giving him his second shock inside thirty seconds. 'Spock, I, ah, thought that something Vulcans don't even talk about with other Vulcans, let alone someone as lowly as a Terran best friend and superior officer.'

'In truth, it is something that is rarely discussed with outsiders, however I feel that given that the upcoming traditions to be honoured, and the expectations placed therein will coincide with the biological Vulcan cycle, it is logical to seek out counsel of a trusted companion.' Spock paused only a moment. 'Despite the evidence that your discretion with women may be dubious at times, I feel you are the only person capable of counselling me to my level of satisfaction.'

'I'm discreet,' Kirk muttered as he reset himself for his shot and neatly clipped the green six ball into the far corner pocket, then shook his head when he narrowly missed the blue two. 'Wait, what do you mean upcoming traditions to be honoured? There's nothing on the United Federation calendar I saw.'

'Five days from now, when my Pon Farr will be in its second day of cycle, Nyota and I will mark six years of our romantic relationship. However given that my ability to function at optimum level will be compromised, I believe I require assistance in creating a plausible fiction so that she will not be further angered by my absence.'

'Seriously? Your blood's gonna boil like one of Keenser's bean pots, you're gonna be overrun by primal urges and you're thinking the best solution is to avoid your girlfriend for your anniversary instead of using it to your advantage?'

'What makes you so certain that she would be inclined to occupy her off-shift hours in an intimate environment with me in such a state?'

'Spock,' Kirk chuckled, swearing lightly when his friend lined up the shot and sunk a three-point bouncer into a side pocket. 'May I be perfectly honest?'

'Captain, nothing in this galaxy with human involvement can be called perfect.'

'Spock, Nyota isn't emotionally distant, she's frustrated and horny.'

'As I am very intimately acquainted with Lieutenant Uhura's anatomy, I can assure you there are no horns anywhere on her person.'

'It's an old Earth expression.' Kirk strived for patience, forcing himself to remember that while he'd grown up with interspecies parents, Amanda Grayson had adapted herself quite well into Vulcan traditions and it was often stated the only way to tell she was a foreigner was by her rounded ears. 'It means that she is feeling strong sexual desires and has nowhere to release them.'

'But we consummate our intellectual and emotional bonds with physical intimacy at a median rate of six point oh four times a week.' Spock's brow furrowed. 'She has complimented me on numerous occasions my performance as a mating partner.'

'Spock, sex with your girlfriend shouldn't be part of a routine checklist. Women don't like being taken for granted that way and the lieutenant is a classy lady so the last thing she's gonna do is insult you by bringing it up,' Kirk told him, bracing his weight on his cue and using the same line Uhura had used to describe the situation. He swallowed deeply when Spock turned that cold dark glare in his direction.

'Are you insinuating that my mate is dissatisfied with my abilities to please her and that she is being dishonest in her flattery as a means of protecting my human sense of pride?'

'No,' Kirk replied instantly, almost yelping the word; he took a short breath, then repeated, 'No, that's not what I'm saying-'

'Because I can assure you, Captain, that when we engage intimately a side effect is a meld wherein we share every experience of the other. In truth there is nothing artificial her response or reaction to my ministrations.'

'Let's go back to the six point oh four times a week. When was the last time you two…mated?'

'Approximately twenty three days ago. First there was the matter of her earth-cycle. then once we returned from the away mission, we were each placed in quarantine for nine days. At the first opportunity we had to enjoy each other's company in private, I began to feel the initial phase of the Pon Farr encroaching and I felt it best not to involve her.'

'First mistake, Spock. Earth girls like it when you share what's bothering you so they can try and help, so that you feel less isolated.'

'The Pon Farr is different, it can be…violent and ugly.' Spock shook his head. 'What if…what if I were to harm her? What if my imbalance is so overpowering that she becomes frightened of what lives in me? To lose her as a life partner would be insufferable.'

Kirk did the math quickly, put the pieces together along with what Uhura had shared with him. 'What if you stop viewing this as a drawback and see it as an opportunity to be put to good use, bedroom wise?'

'I do not understand, the Pon Farr has no use to anyone outside of the Vulcan race.' Spock frowned, sank another shot. 'Equally, I often find my human half questioning what can be done to ensure the continued excellent quality of our relations.'

'I didn't think Vulcans even liked sex,' Kirk admitted, grinding his teeth as he watched Spock tuck away his final striped ball and he was three behind.

'On the contrary, Captain, Vulcans believe it is logical to cultivate a strong physical bond with a mate as well as an intellectual one, so that the desired effects of reproduction for the continuation of our civilization can be achieved. It is yet another misconception many have about Pon Farr and why it is not discussed with outsiders.'

'Still, you are in love with a human woman, and they can be as tricky as any species.'

'Your assessment, though alarmingly general, is quite accurate,' Spock concurred, sinking the eight ball. 'I have completed my end goal of all the striped balls plus the solid black ball, which according to your rudimentary explanation of the game means I am the victor, correct?'

'Correct.' Kirk put his cue on the table, as did Spock, then pushed the button to vanish the hologram and went to his private wet bar to pour them each a short glass of Hyperion bourbon. 'Do yourself a favour, Spock and drink the drink this time.'

'Very well.' Spock sat in one of the bar stools, folded his slender hands. 'Your proposition is to put to use my Pon Farr as a means to strengthen my bond with Nyota. My curiosity is piqued as to how you will do that.'

'First you need to tell her what's going on, and then you need to use that lust and aggression to seduce her.'

'I hardly think she will find the potential for violence arousing.'

'Do you ever eat her…I mean do you ever perform oral sex on her? Or touch her…in…intimate places to…pleasure her, or vice versa?' When Spock's pale skin began to turn a pearly green Kirk pursed his lips, went to his computer console to call up a file. 'To borrow one of your phrases, fascinating.'

'I understand you are attempting to assist me in this matter, however we are venturing into an area of discussion I am not comfortable discussing so openly.' Spock frowned impatiently. 'She has instructed me on a variety of things to do that she finds pleasing and I have become accustomed to enjoying them as well, but truthfully it is difficult for me to be spontaneous at present when my energies are concentrated on keeping Pon Farr symptoms under control.'

'Then you have some homework to do in your off hours, Spock.'

Spock's tablet in its protective case beeped; he looked at the incoming file from his captain and lifted a sleekly angle eyebrow. 'The Kohmas Oo-trah?'

'Kama Sutra,' Kirk corrected him. 'It's an old love manual from Earth's history, very popular for spicing thing up in the bedroom.'

'Bedchambers are for sleeping, Captain, and the…private…activities…of…' Spock trailed off as he opened the file, saw the illustrations of contorted bodies and swore in Vulcan before unceremoniously gulping down the drink Kirk had fixed for him. 'Humans are encouraged to perform such activities with one another?'

Kirk chuckled knowingly, nodded in understanding. 'Trust me Spock, you do something romantic for your girlfriend before Pon Farr makes you lose your marbles, then put this-' he tapped the screen lightly with his finger '- into use once those marbles are gone and you will find yourself in a whole new level of physical bonding enjoyment with your girlfriend.'

'Yes, the romantic appointment. What sort of items would be on such an itinerary for a tradition of this magnitude?' Spock looked into the bottom of his glass. 'This pair-bonding with Nyota is entirely new territory for me, as she is the only woman, human or otherwise, with whom I've sustained any longevity.'

'How did you get her to go on a date with you in the first place?'

'I invited her to join me for a special musical presentation at the Academy by Star Fleet's orchestra. There were no available admittance passes for students and I used my position as a faculty member to secure two such passes.' Spock sniffed, and held out his glass for a refill; he was beginning to enjoy the bittersweet taste of bourbon and would handily neck-pinch anyone who discovered it. 'I still remember the way that during one particularly piece she interlaced her fingers in mine and held them tight. My Vulcan side was powerless to stop the feeling she stirred in me with that touch.'

'Spock, you old softie you,' Kirk chuckled and poured them each one more round. 'That's the part she needs to see, which means you have to tell her about the Pon Farr.'

'I do believe you are correct, Captain.'

'Hey, it does happen every so often.'

'For your discretion, you have my gratitude.' Spock looked over his shoulder towards the space where they had used the holographic pool table. 'Perhaps I might consult the offerings of the holodeck for the romantic interlude I have in mind.'


	3. Return to Relative Normalcy

'I'm sure that's not what he wants to talk about.'

'What else could it be? He's been different the last month. He's hiding something, I can feel it.'

Christine Chapel rolled her eyes as she paged through the gardening journal on her tablet, stuck her tongue out in the direction of the sonic shower where her friend was trying to unwind post-meeting with very little success. 'Vulcans can't lie, even I know that, dumb as I am.'

'Chris, you're not dumb.'

'Really? Then what do you call having a nervous breakdown from PTSD and stealing a shuttle while on shore leave in San Francisco?'

'A tough time that brought you back to us on the Enterprise.'

'Because of a court martial sentence.'

'That was for medical reasons, not criminal and they ran out six months ago and you're still with us,' Uhura reminded her, which had Christine relenting.

'Fine, fine, let's go back to your Spock-tacular dilemma, Nina.'

Uhura felt a warm flutter of friendship at Christine's nickname for her, then sighed deeply as she stepped out of her sonic shower; Spock had taken to enjoying the real kind with water with her and sometimes a girl didn't wanna get wet. Dirty, she thought, chuckling at herself, leaving the privacy of the bathroom and heading into her bedroom while still wrapped in a robe. 'I love him so much, Christine, that sometimes when I try to imagine him not in my life, I want to cry. For god sakes, I have cried when we've been in bed together because what I feel for him and from him is so overpowering, I can't help myself.'

Christine watched her friend head straight for her bureau where Uhura kept a neatly ordered drawer of various beauty treatments and found her favourite - moisturizer infused with Tyrollean sea-weed crystals. 'So if things are still that hot with you, why are you thinking he wants out?'

'I don't know, I just…I can't explain it, I just know something is wrong and he won't share!' She unscrewed the jar with more force than necessary, partially wishing it was her idiot boyfriend's neck and set the lid on the bureau top as she sighed deeply again, this time not in satisfaction of her hygiene rituals but to try and school herself into a more patient mode of thinking. Spock loved her, that she knew, so what in blue Ferengi hell was his problem lately?

Returning to the task at her, making it her focus as best as possible so she wouldn't break down into frustrated tears in front of Christine, herself still recovering from the traumas of the frontier war she'd left behind, then shrieked when she heard the voice behind her.

'Perhaps I might assist you as the first phase of an apology?'

Uhura whipped around and was suddenly very aware of the feel of the silken robe clinging against her skin as she saw Spock standing in the doorway of her bedroom, his face uncharacteristically full of discomfort and, yes, just a hint of shame. She instinctively crossed her arms over her breasts, saw Christine quietly slip out the door and mouthed _tell me later_ before she left. Alone with her infuriating man, Uhura cleared her throat before speaking so she wouldn't stutter. 'What are you doing in here? I thought…I thought I was going to come to your quarters tonight.'

'I was unable to wait that long,' he replied honestly. 'I wanted to see you straight away after my conversation with the captain.'

'Needed a little bro-time to bitch about the little woman?'

'You are not petite, you are approximately one point seven four metres high, Lieutenant.'

Uhura laughed, glad she was able to break the tension with it; she dropped her arms and moved to the closet where she found a loose and flowing tunic the colour of a Beranti sunset that was neither pink nor orange and yet both all at once. She stripped off the robe, tugged the tunic over her head while keeping her back turned to him just a second longer than normal. 'I mean, you needed to speak with him privately to sort out how you are feeling…about us.'

'Nyota, there is something I must share with you. I'm afraid I cannot wait any longer to say this.' Spock held out his hand to her, swallowed tightly when he saw her eyes go wide. 'Is something troubling you?'

'I just…I had a feeling this was coming, given the way you have been acting lately.'

'How could you know about this?' Spock inquired, but his lover did not appear to register his words and for a moment he thought he saw her eyes glisten with tears.

'So what do you propose we do, just neatly shut things off and go on performing our duties admirably?' _You will not cry, not when he is being so cold about this_ , Uhura scolded herself, then felt her eyes dry as she saw that same shamed and uncomfortable look on his face and her misery turned to concern for him. 'Isn't that how you handle emotional upheaval? By throwing yourself into your work?'

'Lieutenant it would hardly be possible to do that given how incapacitated I am about to become.'

That one threw her for a loop. 'Wait, what? What are you talking about?'

'I'm attempting to gather my courage and explain to you that I am about to go through the…the…'

'Oh my god. Oh my god,' she said again as she clapped a hand to her eyes that had scrunched shut. She should have known, or at least suspected it was this but it never once crossed her mind. 'I thought…god, I'm such a fool, I thought you wanted to end our relationship.'

'To what purpose? We find enjoyment in each other's company both socially and intimately. I find your physical presence very pleasing as you do mine.' Spock paused, took a step closer. 'And I hope you continue to do so once you have seen what I am capable of. I had initially thought to confine myself to my quarters so you would not be subjected to what are some very powerful forces for a Vulcan.'

'Why didn't you say anything sooner? No, forget it, I understand why.' Uhura waved off her own words, forged on ahead in exasperated confusion. ' But…Spock, I mean we've been together for nearly six years, I don't know why you thought you had to avoid me and not tell me.'

'I didn't wish you to alarm you if I suddenly became temperamental or aggressive, particularly when we bond.'

'Spock.' Now Uhura crossed to him and pressed her hands to his cheeks. 'I love you, I know you and I know you would never intentionally hurt me, physically or otherwise.'

'Nyota.' Spock took her wrists, moved her hands to press a kiss to each of her palms. The emotional surge it gave him through his body made him tighten his grip. 'It is because I love you that I am attempting to protect you. You've never seen me like this, it isn't something I am confident you will enjoy seeing.'

'So you were talking with Kirk to what, come up with a reasonable excuse for avoiding me?' When he didn't answer, Uhura shook her head. 'Spock, haven't you learned anything in the last six years?'

'Many things, but apparently the ability to make myself understood to you isn't one of them.'

Now Uhura stretched to her tip-toes and gently kissed his mouth. 'Spock, it's okay to not be an expert on every single thing. Most men spend their lives trying to understand how women work and fail.'

'Failure is not something I'm comfortable with in such intimate matters.' The conversation with Kirk came rushing back to Spock at warp-speed. 'Nyota, have you always been honest with me, that…what I make you feel when we are together is in fact what you feel?'

'Of course, Spock, I would never lie to you about something that important.'

'Do you still enjoy it?' When she hesitated, Spock closed his eyes and huffed out a breathe through his nostrils. 'Nyota, a lie by omission is still a lie.'

'I do enjoy it, it's just that…things have gotten a little repetitive lately and maybe…' Uhura turned away, trying to figure out how to phrase it without sounding clumsy or awkward; the last thing she wanted to do was embarrass Spock even more than she suspected she already had. 'I don't know, maybe we could try using your Pon Farr to spice things up?'

'Spice things up?'

'It's an old earth expression, it means that we try some things to make our intimate relationship more exciting.'

'I believe I may have such a device.'

'A… a device?'

Spock couldn't help himself - he watched her expression changed so rapidly from sympathy to guilt to wary surprise that it made him laugh. 'If you would permit me to exchange my attire from uniform to sleeping garments, I believe that I will find that a more suitable way to discuss this with you.'

Before Uhura could say a word, Spock peeled his shirt over his head, toed off his boots. She licked her lips, surpassed the grin as she watched him shove off his snug-fitting uniform pants so he was left in his form-fitting black undershorts; it left nothing to imagination just how impressive his anatomy was. She softened when she saw the thin silver chain around his neck with the silver and blue pendent attached. He carefully folded his clothes and laid them in the drawer of her bureau she'd given him to store things in, then picked up his tablet and sat on his side of her bed, patting the space beside him in invitation.

'Would you like to join me, Lieutenant?'

'Always.'

Uhura slipped in beside him, saw his pale complexion deepen to emerald in what she knew to be a Vulcan blush when he called up the file to show her. She gasped lightly, pressing her fingers to her lips. 'Oh my what is that?'

'According to the captain this is called the Kama Sutra and it is meant to be a manual to aid couples to spice things up, as you said it. He thought…he thought we might use this when I go through the Pon Farr so that we might…'

Uhura felt her jaw drop open not in shocked anger but in amusement; she pointed a fine-boned finger at the screen where various images continued to flash by as Spock paged through the file. 'Kirk gave you this so that we can put all that energy from your Pon Farr to use and try something new in our sex life?'

'Affirmative.'

'Truthfully, Spock, I'd settle for getting to use the bed again and not feeling you block yourself off anymore.' Uhura tilted her head as she carefully examined an illustration of something called 'congress of the crow'. 'Although, that one looks like great fun.'

'Perhaps this evening we might experiment with some suggestions from the book, so that I can prepare for the upcoming days?'

Uhura tugged her sleeping tunic over her head, tossed it so it fluttered to the floor. 'That's the smartest thing you've said all day.'


	4. Hot Topics

The following morning Uhura felt so relaxed and limber, and yes just a little smugly relieved that she wasn't losing her mind or her lover, that she indulged herself in a water shower to start her day on a fresh note. She pressed the button that released a dollop of exfoliating scrub-paste - a gift at Christmas from Sarek, who'd decided to carry on his Terran wife's love of the holiday - and gave a passionate sigh as she inhaled the scent. This was why Spock always smelled so good, she thought as the mingling fragrances of cedar, honey and a hint of strawberry filled her showering tube. He'd been using this type of hygiene product since he was a child and now it all but floated off his skin every time he breathed. Uhura wonder if-

 _Crash!_

Startled out of her daydreaming by the sudden noise, Uhura all but leaped out of the shower, and foregoing her robe raced into her bedroom to find Spock in his skin-tight undershorts, chest heaving and staring at the shattered bottle on the floor, the fumes of an old perfume rising around him. His face was a study of emotions, as anger swirled with guilt, and his fists clenched and unclenched in rhythmic measures.

'Spock? Are you okay?'

His head whipped over to face her, and for a moment Uhura felt her mouth go dry as she saw the burning in his eyes. There was power there, no question, but the way he looked at her, not with rage or hatred but with pure primal lust made her feel weak in the knees and warm in the belly. He took a breath, then another and when he spoke, she understood a little better his apprehension about sharing this time with her.

'No, I can feel…everything,' he confessed to her. 'I felt so much anger about the possibility I could have caused to doubt my affection, my…love for you. Before I knew what I was doing, I picked up that vial and was throwing it to the ground.'

'Spock-'

'Please accept my apologies for destroying one of your possessions.'

The note of pleading in his voice alarmed Uhura only slightly; she'd seen him like this before when his mother had died and knew he was using every available ounce of energy to keep from going completely to pieces. Instead she went to her small linens cubby and retrieved a dust-pan and hand-broom, thrusting the former at him while keeping the latter for herself.

'Hold this on the floor while I sweep up the glass.'

'Did you not hear what I said?' Spock pressed her urgently, and Uhura smiled sympathetically.

'Spock, there is no need for an apology over your physiology. Isn't that what you told me the first time you had to see me deal with my period?'

'As I recall there were several seemingly illogical solutions that appeared to have a great tranquilizing effect on you. This…' Spock trailed off, lifted his hands to look at them. 'There is no cure, one simply needs to let the symptoms run their course.'

'Didn't you tell me there are a few things like meditation or a pharmaceutical remedy that can help alleviate your condition?'

'I do not care for non-Vulcan medication, but meditation could help.'

'My grandmother told me when her husband was fighting in the war, when the stress got to be too much for her, she'd retreat into her kitchen and spend her time baking whatever came to mind to help her deal with her emotions,' Uhura told him, standing up with the dust-pan and depositing the contents into her rubbish chute. 'Perhaps you need to find an activity like that. When you had a hard day as a student at the Academy, what did you do to unwind?'

'Unwind?'

'Relax.'

'The Earthly practice of yoga was very similar to daily exercises I learned on Vulcan as a child. Attending the symphony as you know, losing myself in coding.' Spock frowned as a memory surfaced. 'When I was taking my third year engineering course, a required training course for those seeking command school as I did, I often found myself creating a reward system that I would program holodeck combat training applications once I had finished the tasks before me. No coding until the essentials were completed. Perhaps I could take advantage of my personal hours today to do so.'

'There you go. When I'm cranky, I have chocolate ice cream picnics and scary movies to comfort me, you code martial arts combat programs.'

 _Picnic._ The word sparked another memory to life, and Spock cleared his throat, pointed at the floor where he had broken the bottle. 'Was that item cherished?'

'No, it was just a trinket I picked up on that outpost near Gothos. Why do you ask?'

'It occurs to me that I should be offering to replace it, regardless of value, or if that endeavour fails, offering an item of equal sentimental value to ease your pain at the loss.'

'Spock, it wasn't my bottle of Romulan ale, it was just some perfume I got because my preferred type had run low and they had a similar fragrance,' Uhura reassured him, then squirmed a little at his penetrating gaze. 'What?'

'How, precisely, did you acquire a bottle of Romulan Ale, Lieutenant?'

'I have my sources and mysterious ways.'

'That you most certainly do.'

Spock held her gaze just a little longer than normal, brushing his hands over her naked shoulders; in his heightened state he was unable to stop the meld before he could even blink and he watched her gasp, shudder, then grin slowly.

'You keep holding onto me like that and I'm going to be late for my shift.'

'For which you would be much maligned by the captain.' Spock dropped his hands, went to retrieve the spare set of off-duty clothes that Uhura had logically offered to let him keep in her closet. 'I wonder if you could pass on a message to him?'

'Sure.'

'If he needs to be in contact with me, I will be in the holodeck programming room for an indeterminate length of time, and that any verification inquiries should be directed towards either Mister Scott or Mister Chekov.'

'Of course.'

They finished dressing for their respective mornings, and as Uhura went to press the door-release button she found her wrist caught in Spock's surprisingly strong grip; a second later she was spun into his arms with his lips crushing onto hers in a passionate kiss. When they drew back, Spock actually gave her a cocky little smirk.

'Something to remember that _ponfarr_ isn't always scary,' he told her, then reached over her shoulder to press the button. 'I trust your shift will pass pleasantly.'

Uhura watched him go, and only when he was around the corner and out of earshot did she let out a little laugh as she tapped her fingernails on the doorjamb. Nope, she thought with her head still reeling form the kiss he'd planted on her, she was definitely going to be a few minutes late.

* * *

Kirk cracked his jaw wide as he yawned while on-line at the mess hall's after-hours cafe; the day's unexpected encounter with the Cygnusian consulate ship and the insistence of the captain that they board for an informal social gathering had gone well past the end of his twelve hour shift. Cygnusians were undoubtedly delightful people - they combined the respect of rules and formalities of Vulcans with the joviality of Tyrolleans - and their violet complexions always made for a great change in the stark colour palate of the mess hall, but he was ready for a break tonight. Mostly he just wanted to talk to Spock, see if his Vulcan-bro had come to terms with his biology and needed a hand in helping plan anything for the Big Date with Uhura. But he knew that to ask would be a violation of their friendship; Spock had grown in the years they'd become friends and was less and less hesitant about sharing his opinion on various topics whether they related to the job of Star-Fleet or those of a more personal nature.

'Long day, sir?'

Kirk turned his gaze to the source of the voice, saw the effervescent Christine had joined the line behind him. She was a pretty Floridan blonde, with generous curves that Kirk knew had made a few of the male crew drool without her ever realizing it, and a bright flashing smile that didn't always reach her haunted blue eyes. The only time that seemed to vanish was when her mind drifted to someone who made her incredibly happy, but who that someone was Kirk had no clue. In a vein very similar to his friendship with Uhura, despite Christine's rocky return to the _Enterprise_ Kirk considered Bones' right hand woman a friend and himself a decent enough man that he wouldn't tease her into sharing things she didn't want to share.

'Yeah, but I think you guys have had longer dealing with that near-miss of the Tribbles?'

This earned Kirk a snorting sigh and an impatient eye roll from Christine as she perused the late night options of crispy Tyrollean sea bass and Barilkian chipped-potatoes done British style or blackout chilli with Rigel Seven beans. There were other sandwich options, along with coffees and a smattering of various baked good but Kirk wanted actual dinner and because he felt obligated since he was in front of the best nurse on the ship, asked for the chipped-potatoes topped with the chilli.

'An excellent choice,' Christine told him, then ordered one each of the fish and chips and the chilli-fries, making Kirk lift an eyebrow.

'That's a lot of snacks, Nurse Chapel, didn't take you for a monster appetite.'

'Well given how much fun we had with the damn Tribbles-' Christine's smiled turned lethal as the words eked out between her gritted teeth '-we're behind about two hours on lab work so working dinner for me and the man.'

'The man? Something I should know about?'

Christine fought the flush that wanted to wash through her cheeks. 'Doctor McCoy,' she replied, her heart pounding at the slip up, but the captain seemed to take no notice of it as Kirk selected the small cups of salsa and crema-fresca for enhancing his meal. 'I swear, that guy wouldn't think to feed himself if it isn't put in front of him some days.'

'Well, he's a farm boy, used to having someone tell him to come and get it,' he reminded her in an exaggerated accent, which made Christine's nerves unwind as she accepted the to-go containers for returning to the medical bay. 'Remind him he owes me a rematch in my quarters for billiards tomorrow night!'

'Only if you promise to get the holodeck fixed within the hour.'

At this the captain furrowed his brow in confusion. 'The holodeck?'

'It's been on lockdown mode for the whole freaking day and I wanna go for a swim once I'm done in med-bay. So either get it fixed or I will kick some ass myself. Sir,' she added hastily, remembering she was speaking to her superior officer after all.

'Huh.'

Kirk's thoughts were too tripped up by this development to notice the way Christine grinned when she saw the incoming text on her PADD; he hadn't heard from or seen Spock at all that day. Come to think of it, no one had, really, which was odd in itself as Spock was prone to meditative walks about the floors of the ship and Kirk often overheard irritated snippets of conversations about Spock's frosty manners.

Deciding on a second helping of the chilli-fries, as he had a sneaking suspicion of where he'd find Spock after Christine's casual comment, Kirk thanked the ensign on duty and headed for the turbo-lift.


	5. Penny For Your Memory Lane

A short ride and walk later and he was using his captain's all-access pass to override the lockdown code on the holodeck. Once the door whisked smoothly open, Kirk nearly dropped the containers when he saw the vast space filled with holo-screen after holo-screen of complex programming language. There was the gentle whisperings of classical screen-music in the background; in the middle of the room was Spock in as disheveled a state as Kirk had ever seen him. His normally surgical-precision bowl cut was showing signs his slender fingers had been raking through it, and his shirtsleeves were rolled up to the elbow as he appeared to be muttering to himself.

'Commander?'

Spock jumped a mile out of his skin, his heart beating manically in his chest; he whirled around and glared at his friend with a small snarl on his mouth. 'What!'

'Easy, Spock, I'm just checking to make sure you ate something.' Kirk held out the container. 'French fried potatoes with blackout chilli.'

'Thank you, Jim,' Spock replied, his chest heaving as he fought back the rising tide of her temper at having his private work time interrupted. 'Forgive my outburst. Unfortunately, ill manners are a symptom of my…current condition.'

'You're forgiven,' he replied kindly; Kirk wasn't offended in the slightest so it was an easy thing to brush off for himself and comfort Spock's unhinged psyche. 'So, what's all this?'

'I took your advice, and spoke with Nyota, told her of the situation,' Spock replied, giving commands for his progress to be saved so he wouldn't become distracted and close the program on important half-finished items. 'She was unexpectedly sympathetic and understanding. At first, she believed I wished to terminate our bond.'

'Bet she had something to say on that,' Kirk muttered, then raised his voice, 'What did she say when you explained the truth to her?'

'That is private, Captain, however there was a conversation that gave me an idea for the method in which we should celebrate the anniversary of our first social engagement.'

'So I take it you barricading yourself in your Fortress of Solitude here is you working out that idea?'

'It is not a fortress, sir, it is a…' Spock trailed off as his annoyance threatened to get the better of him, but he forced his heated words back in his throat. 'Am I right to assume Fortress of Solitude is an Earth metaphor for a location where one prefers to have tranquility in order to achieve clarity on a particular matter?'

'Or just get some work done.' Kirk pulled up a rolling-foot chair, passed Spock a hermetically-sealed fork - he knew his Vulcan friend was a fiend for cleanliness - and dug into his own dinner. 'What's all this?'

'An attempt at a very important recreation.' Spock lifted the lid on the container and felt the very human longing that the fragrance of the veggie-friendly chilli stirred in his palate. He opened his fork packet, stabbed it through the veritable mountain of steaming beans in tomato sauce. 'The aroma of this dish is indeed enticing.'

'Kinney does a good job with it,' Kirk agreed, cramming in his first bites and ready to melt in culinary bliss. 'Oh yeah, that's the good stuff right there. What are you trying to recreate?'

'The location in San Francisco where Nyota and I shared our first social engagement where it was understood that she and I were in the first stages of pair-bonding and that it was not a mere kindness on my part or one of reciprocal gratitude on her part.'

'So you guys had a few accidental dates before this night?'

'I do not understand what you mean calling them accidents, as they were planned and schedule prior to their occurrence.'

'Wanna show me what you've got so far? Maybe some fresh eyes will help you iron out the kinks.'

Spock's impatience chafed at him, as real and uncomfortable as a leather collar choking his throat, but he knew that his friend hadn't come here to be intrusive. On the contrary, Kirk's presence was logical: Spock had come to him with a personal problem the night before, and now his friend was balancing the scales, so to say, by following through to ensure his mental and emotional state was improved.

Taking a bite of the meal Kirk had brought him, Spock pressed a few buttons on the programming console to run the preview mode. The far wall shimmered to life and showed a restaurant of some type, with comfortable looking wooden-backed booths and pale teal walls with the outline of beach-surf scenes. Kirk gave a little sniff and swore he could smell frying garlic and tomato sauce.

'Is this-'

'It is what was commonly referred to as a pizza parlour in mid-twentieth to early twenty-first century Earth vernacular of the United States,' Spock confirmed. 'One of my concerns upon moving to Earth to attend Star-Fleet was the challenges I might face to my vegetarian diet. However, because I attended the San Francisco campus of the Academy I discovered there were a great many vegetarians such as myself who enjoyed plentiful dining options. Then when I discovered that the lieutenant eats both meat and vegetarian dishes, I was concerned that it would be an immovable obstacle for us to engage in dinner engagements.'

'That I get,' Kirk agreed, 'I've tried to go meatless for hard-core herbivores and it didn't end well on any level.'

'When I expressed my concerns to her, she reassured me that she knew of particular cuisines that would allow each of us to remain faithful to our chosen culinary lifestyles and we made what she called a dinner date at this place. It was then I knew that we were meant to be a pair-bond.'

'See, I knew there was a romantic side to you,' Kirk chuckled. 'What did you guys talk about?'

'We discussed the music of the previous night, what music we listened to growing up. She was rather intrigued by the lullabies my mother sang to me as a child. I remember joining hands with her, inadvertently forming a bond and I felt something so strong that I hadn't expected.'

'Lust?'

'Empathy, Captain,' Spock replied with a wry smile. 'She understood the longing for a far-away childhood home.'

'Did she ever get to meet her?'

'Clarify.'

'Before her…her passing,' Kirk explained, hesitating a little to use the word 'death' when Spock was already under such emotional strain judging from the way he stabbed at his French fries, 'did you ever introduce Uhura to your mother?'

'I did indeed, though the meeting was unintentional. I has desired to introduce them formally during the evening of a linguistics conference where I was a member of a forum panel and my mother was giving a keynote address I knew Nyota would be attending. What was not anticipated was my mother inviting Nyota to join her as part of a focus group following the keynote.'

'Let me guess you came to meet your mother, and she put it together that you two were dating.'

'If you are already familiar with the story, sir, then I suspect you are simply mocking me.'

'No, it was a guess. What you and Uhura do is your business,' Kirk reassured him, then rose to walk over to the preview walls. 'You've done a great job on this, Spock, I'm sure she will really love it.'

When he got no answer, Kirk turned around, felt his heart freeze as he saw the look of raw emotion on his friend's face. It was a look he hadn't even seen when Amanda had died in the destruction of Vulcan but he was seeing it now - years of pent up grief threatening to spill out of him. Immediately, he rushed over and grabbed Spock by the shoulders to try and soothe him.

'Hey, hey hey hey, it's okay Spock, you've got a right to miss your mom.'

'Do you ever miss your father?'

'Yeah, actually I do. Everyone who knew him that I've met says he was a great guy, a stand-up man who always did the honourable thing. Makes me wish I'd gotten to know him so he'd get to see I made his sacrifice worthwhile, you know?'

'I do understand your perspective,' Spock agreed. 'My mother approved highly of my selection of Nyota as a mate. She referred to her as a breath of fresh air that I desperately needed. There are times when I wish I could speak with her so that I could hear her ideas, or seek her counsel on my pair-bond with Nyota, or even just to hear her voice.'

This very human admission had Kirk wondering if the whole scope of his advice to both Uhura and Spock had been way off base because he had no idea how deep Spock's feelings ran. Fighting to find another topic to discuss that was a little less cumbersome to the soul, Kirk pointed to the console were the other program was still blinking away in code-mode.

'Why don't you tell me about the other program you've got working there?'

'No.' Spock shook his head emphatically, scooped the next bite of his meal up. 'That one is quite personal, even more personal than breaking form and sharing details of my…current predicament.'

'Must be something very good for you and Uhura, then,' Kirk grinned, lifted his palms at Spock's glare. 'Not prying, just an observation.'

'I appreciate your concern for my wellbeing, Jim, I mean that sincerely.' Spock looked around, frowned. 'What time is it?'

'Just after twenty-three-hundred. I ran into Christine in the mess-hall and she said she and Bones are just finishing up some lab work so maybe you join me to go find him and get him to join us for a drink at the Archer and Sparrow.'

'Thank you for your invitation, Captain, however Uhura has invited me to her quarters for a session of meditation prior to slumbering.' Spock paused, felt the swell of his human ego get the better of him. 'I believe this is what North American culture of the early twenty-first century referred to as a boot-call.'

'I think you mean booty call, and maybe it is but those sure can be fun and they're a great way to reset your brain chemistry.'

'Captain, if I offered the hypothesis that I lived four hundred years longer, I believe I would be safe in drawing the conclusion I will never fully understand the human fascination with people wanting to know the sexual habits and mating rituals of their companions.'

Kirk laughed richly, rose to leave Spock to his thoughts. 'Alright, I'll let Bones know it's just him, me and Scotty. You're only allowed in here for another ten minutes. Other people do want to use the holodeck besides you, Spock.'

'I fail to see why my use of the holodeck for a short amount of time-'

'Spock, the timer says you came in here just after oh-eight-thirty this morning, that means you've been programming for nearly fifteen hours straight.'

'Noted, Captain. Was there any specific crew member who was affronted by my monopoly of the resource?'

'Nurse Chapel said she wants to go for a swim once she is finished in medical bay.'

'Very well.'

'Spock, you'll get through this, it's okay.'

'Thank you for your concern,' Spock replied, then waited until the captain had exited and re-sealed the door to the holodeck before turning to his console and hitting a keystroke that had a holographic snapshot of himself and Uhura appearing. It was one they'd taken on another important first date, and the image was keeping him from completely losing his mind. He studied the strong angles of her face, the deep colour of her eyes and their ever-changing expressions; it was the image of her eyes that had stuck with him after his thoughts had begun to devote their time and energy to the way she smiled when she thought he was making a clever point, the way they went flat and cool when she was debating her opponent in command-ethics class.

The first time they'd kissed, they'd gone so dark Spock nearly mistook them for black; when they'd made love the first time, they'd glittered like polished onyx. Her eyes were her most beautiful physical trait, as they always told him what she was thinking and exactly what her opinion was. Spock suddenly recalled the look in them the night before when she'd incorrectly assumed that he'd wished to terminate their relationship; the look of utter sadness there was motivation enough for Spock to lock himself away on the holodeck to plan their special evening.

He'd nearly begun to delve deep into the programming when he heard the incoming alert on his PADD; annoyed, he glanced over and saw the blinking dot alert of a new text message.

 _Spock, I mean it, leave now or I will come down there and make you share your feelings again_ read the message from Kirk, and it actually made Spock chuckle. Sighing, he paged through his contact list and video-dialled Uhura who answered with a blearily 'Huh-low?'

'Forgive me Lieutenant, did I wake you?'

'Yeah, but it's okay.' Relief washed through Uhura, waking her body up more effectively than ten triple espressos. 'You on your way here?'

'I am,' he replied as he saved his work on the console and closed the program. 'I- forgive me for not being in touch with you today, I was working on a project for you and I lost track of the time.'

'It's okay, I thought you might need a little breathing room after the talk we had last night, to meditate or go out with the guys or something.'

'I required private reflective time and to work on your present.'

'That's very sweet of you. I hope you like the gift I'm giving you.'

Spock felt his heart thump a little harder, the longing she stirred in him rising to the surface. He looked at her, considered and realized that her shoulders were uncovered but for the gentle swing of her long black hair. 'Lieutenant,' he asked, lowering his voice, 'are you wearing any nightclothes right now?'

'Well, I do have a sheet I'm wearing, and underwear.'

'I believe you're trying to tempt me by wearing virtually nothing, knowing that my attraction to your physical person will be heightened by such information.'

Uhura smiled at this; he had such a cutely understated way of flirting with her when he was actually horny and tonight seemed to qualify as one of those nights. 'Why don't you hurry up and get over here and find out?'

'Lieutenant, the lifts are only capable of moving at certain maximum speeds.'

'It's a saying, Spock, it means I cannot wait for you to get here so I can share this body with you in person.'

Uhura shook her head - man for a smart guy he was really dense some days - then groaned at the noise of her door-alert. 'Hang on, someone's at the door.'

Finding a t-shirt long enough to cover the vital bits, Uhura went to her door and blinked in shock to find Spock standing there. 'Good evening, Lieutenant, I see you dressed just for me. But please, by all means, finish your conversation.'

'I'll call you back,' she managed to get out, and then wrapped her arms around his slender shoulders to pull him in for a steaming kiss he happily returned.


	6. Home Fires Burning I

_Hey everyone! Hope you guys are liking the story so far! This scene is one of the reasons this has an M-rating...you might want to get a cold drink once it's done! Enjoy!_

* * *

Fumbling a hand out, she secured the door behind him as she let out a little moan when Spock's busy hands peeled the shirt over her head while she tried to do the same for him.

'I had hoped we could meditate together,' he told her as Uhura threw his recently removed shirt over her shoulder while leading him to her bedroom. 'Certainly sexual encounters right now would be a far less effective solution.'

'Maybe, maybe not, but this way is most definitely the more fun way to get out the bad vibes.'

'The bad vibes?'

'The negative emotions, I can see it on your face,' she told him, whirling to her bureau to find the sensual oils they were fond of using in their foreplay, then felt his wrist close over her hand. Turning back, she saw the urgency in his eyes and felt a little unnerved at his seeming insistence of needing to speak before they each lost their capacity for words.

'Nyota, rest assured the reason I may appear emotionally unsettled is not because I am contemplating terminating our relationship.'

'I know, Spock,' she told him gently, and lifted her hand so that she could kiss his hand in comfort. 'Right now though, I really think we need to make up for all those times you were such a bonehead and missed the good sex.'

'I love sexual encounters with you no matter their quality,' Spock replied in his stoic manner with such placid conviction that as he sat on the edge of her bed Uhura had to laugh. He lifted an eyebrow when he saw the small vial in her hand and felt a surge of pure lust for his mate. 'You are indeed in the mood, as one might say on Earth.'

'You betcha, lover,' Uhura agreed as she walked over to him in just her panties, saw he'd stripped off the remainder of his uniform so he was only in his undershorts and let her eyes go wide and greedy when she saw his arousal already starting to build. 'Spock, you know-'

'Lieutenant, I do believe I am no longer interested in mundane conversation and would prefer to simply mate,' Spock interrupted her with a bite in his voice that softened away when he added, 'as you have often reminded me, sex first talking later can frequently be a means of opening doors of communication, yes?'

'Yes,' she agreed, reminding herself how much Spock had evolved in their relationship and how deeply his mental anguish went over including her in the process of his _ponfarr;_ that he was thinking only of protecting her was, in his backwards yet chivalrously sweet manner, no small symbol of his dedication to their relationship. 'So, shall I pour this on you or you on me?'

'I would like to use it on you, Nyota,' Spock replied, his voice lowering with need for her. Watching her stretching out on her stomach on the bed, he squeezed the small amount of the lemon-infused almond oil into his palm, then rubbed them together to warm the oil before laying his hands on her slender back and gently but firmly massaging. He could feel the muscles beneath her supple smooth skin loosen at his touch, and his exceptional sense of smell detected a change of her scent he recognized as a shift in her biochemical balances as an urge to mate with him.

But still Spock held back, using every ounce of control he had left to keep himself from acting on what felt like every animal instinct of his human half awakening and simply possessing Uhura.

'Don't do that,' she muttered, and Spock raised an eyebrow in confusion.

'Do what?'

'That,' she repeated, and reached around to grab his hand. 'You've got your guard up again, love, you're still shutting me out. I'm not going to be scared off by you, Spock so I don't understand why you-'

Uhura's words were cut off when Spock suddenly rolled her to her back and kissed her with an almost savage power; her arms came around him, pulling him close his his tongue explored her mouth, his hands gripping her hips to hold her tight against him. Uhura shuddered at his sudden forcefulness, not in fear but in dark delight; she was sure she was the only person on board the _Enterprise_ who knew just how deep Spock's sex drive ran and how much skill he possessed in that area. The heat in her system was already turning from mild simmer to rolling bubble as his hands moved from her hips to her breasts, his clever fingers stroking her nipples and teasing them into hardened pebbles.

'Spock, it's good,' she murmured, putting her hand to his cheek as she felt the worry flow from him into her through that magical touch he possessed. 'It's really good.'

'Fascinating,' he fairly growled back, then rolled his tongue over one of her breasts, forming a near perfect circle of kisses before lapping at her, her cries of passion music to his pointed ears as he felt the warm damp cradle of her thighs against his still-clothed member. 'If you could wait but a moment, my mate…'

Uhura propped herself on her elbows, watching how he rose to peel off the snug form-fitting undershorts he worse and let her eyes go greedy and wide with pleasure; it never failed to impress her what was tucked into his neatly pressed Star-Fleet uniform. How did those body-hugging pants belie such a masculine physique? The part that had taken some getting used to once they'd begun having sex wasn't the fact that due to his blood being green instead of red his junk went emerald instead of dark pink when he was turned on but the size of him. Spock was one gifted man, in more ways than one, she thought with a smile as he returned to her, and she felt him press into her as she shifted her hips to better welcome the sensation of his touch.

'Love when you feel that way, Spock,' she told him, eyes going heavy as she felt him stroke his hands over her body, awakening what felt like every nerve beneath her skin.

'I love all of you, Nyota,' he replied, adding a murmured term of endearment to her in Vulcan that made her eyes go soft with affection for him. He lowered his mouth to her body once more, inhaling the intoxicating fragrance of her skin - though Spock knew logically Vulcans couldn't be intoxicated, he was still able to feel entranced by her physical beauty and her smell was always something that intrigued him. Tonight it was the scent of the massage oil he'd used combined with the musky fragrance of her lusting body. With an open mouth he planted kisses down her middle in a way meant to tease her so she began to quiver with name for him.

When he reached the juncture of her thighs, Spock wasted no time in diving in deep; this particular act he'd come to discover was a great stimulant for them both - to Uhura, it was a beautiful sensation that she'd never enjoyed to this extent until she'd met Spock, to him it was essentially a kiss of worship at the ultimate source of female power. He licked and stroked with his tongue, treating every crevice of her vault like a treasure trove; he could feel her fingers combing through his hair, in her own subtle signal to tell him wordlessly how much she enjoyed it.

'Turn over,' he told her.

'What?'

'Turn over, so you are lying on your stomach, Nyota,' Spock instructed her, rocking back so his weight rested on his thighs and heels as she did as he requested. The grin actually spread slow and smug across his face as he watched his mate essentially present herself for his taking - hell, for his fucking, he thought, to use the vulgar yet somehow appropriately fitting Earth term - with her hips arching towards the ceiling as she turned to look at him over her shoulder.

'You wanna see me like this?' she purred at him, and watching his dark eyes as they never left her face, Uhura felt a wild feminine thrill as he stroked her juicy secretive lips with barely a graze of his fingertips. She gasped lightly, the move sending off little shock waves in her centre that radiated outward in a glorious electric blue ripple.

'I wanna take you like this,' he replied in a voice so unlike his usual breathy urgency when they were intimate that for a moment Uhura actually thought him dangerous; it was gone when she felt one, then two of his slender fingers slip into her honeypot from behind and she nearly lost her balance on the bed. He drew them out slowly, his pace almost torturous until she realized little by little he was speeding up until his fingers were plunging in and out of her body at a near superhuman speed when-

'Oh! Oh my god, oh god, Spock, yes! Yes, yes, oh god, yes!'

The orgasm cascaded through her like a waterfall of pleasure, bursting through her like a geyser as Uhura's senses were swamped with pleasure by his touch. Her eyes slammed shut in reflex as everything inside went hot and bright, growing hotter and brighter until she couldn't take anymore and she let out a single thin cry of release, her body clenching around Spock's fingers as the air fought its way back into her lungs.

She was ready, Spock thought, and with a surprisingly gentle touch, turned her back so she was facing him and he moved her into his lap, his stiffened Vulcan member sliding into Uhura's body - he watched her eyes go wide and dark; it was a look she wore every time he filled her, as though she were always surprised by his size - then folded his legs behind her.

'I believe in the book, this position was called the lot-us.'

Uhura chuckled a little at Spock's mispronunciation; it was good to laugh and she knew given their bonding power he wouldn't feel embarrassed but reassured as she'd told him over and over again that when she laughed during sex it was because she was enjoying the moment so much.

'Lotus,' she intoned for him, then stopped talking when his hips began to move against hers and she could feel all his surfing anger, his lust, his everything negative flowing out of his body but not flowing into her. 'Spock, look at me.'

She held his face in her hands as she began to ride him, her upper body staying steady against his while her hips moved like lightening against him. She saw the fire in his eyes, felt everything from him as the bond was formed and his body began to tremble against hers.

'I love you,' he told her in his mother tongue, bury his face into her throat, 'I love you Nyota, you are my heart.'

'I love you too,' she replied, then let out a thin cry as the orgasm tumbled through her in a shimmering rippling wave from her head all the way to the tips of her toes. Moments later, as she drifted in the silvery middle of the post orgasmic glow, she felt him shudder and erupt inside her; she smiled against his shoulder, pressing her lips to his skin with its pale pearly green flush. 'Oh, that was nice.'

'Just nice?'

'Mind clearing? Relaxing? Hot? Quick?'

'It was indeed briefer than our usual mating rituals.' Spock paused, lifted his head to push a lock of Uhura's dark hair back from her brown eyes that were full of warmth and understanding. 'You were right.'

'Yes, I know,' she replied, making him chuckle, then lifted her head to give him a curious look. 'About which part?'

'All of the points you raised since my arrival this evening.' Spock kept one hand on Uhura's back as he leaned back so she was kept close to him and he could stare at the mood-screen on his lover's wall. She'd set it to a tranquil rainforest with the noises of strange animals, but it was the gently falling water he found most soothing. 'My mood does feel improved having mated with you, even more so for letting you see…my weaknesses.'

'Spock, being vulnerable isn't the same as being weak,' Uhura reassured him, 'it just means you're acknowledging these emotions but not letting them rule you.'

'How do pureblood humans do it?'

'Do what?'

'Manage to govern all this…' Spock gestured vaguely. 'Illogical tangle of emotions all at once?'

'We don't do it alone. We talk about our feelings, we share how we feel with our friends and loved ones, and offer compassion and empathy as a means of support. That's why Christine was here last night when you arrived. I couldn't govern myself all alone, as you put it, so I shared with a trusted friend.'

'I performed a similar action when I spoke with the captain not as a fellow officer but as a male humanoid in need of guidance.' Spock traced his fingertips in zig-zag patterns over Uhura's soft skin. 'Perhaps I am simply unfamiliar with the protocol labels, as I seem to instinctively perform them regardless.'

'I think that's very true.' Uhura turned her head, studied his face. 'I liked the way you were kind of bossy with me while we were having sex.'

That one had him blinking. 'You found my domineering nature tonight pleasurable?'

'Mm-hmm.' She nodded with a sultry smile, walking her fingers up his chest as he studied her with disbelief coating his face like a second skin. 'The last few times before you decided to take away our sexy times it was like banging a robot. Not much fun. Feeling that male aggression from you was refreshing to say the least, it reminded I was still in love with a man and not a machine.'

'It is considered a insult of great proportions to refer to my people as robotic,' Spock warned her in a low growling voice, feeling his temper rise even as his human ego began to inflate at the knowledge she'd actually liked him in his pre- _ponfarr_ phase. 'Are you intentionally trying to insult me so as to incite more aggressive sexual relations with me, Lieutenant?'

'Perhaps.' She knew how annoyed her man got when she made any reference to him being less than human, and given how much energy she could still sense coursing through him Uhura figured they could easily get in another round before she got him to talk. 'Is it working?'

Spock said nothing at first, then rolled them so he was on top, gripping her wrists tightly to pin her to the bed. 'Very much so,' he growled, then fused his mouth to hers.


	7. Home Fires Burning II

Later, much later when they were both sated after another round, sleep was somehow still eluded Uhura and she slipped out of her bed while Spock slept soundly. It was the first time in weeks she'd seen him truly able to relax, she thought, tugging on her silky robe and going to the window of her quarters; the stars rushed past much slower than usual, she thought, though she knew Scotty's engineers were trying to conserve power until they reached their refuelling station in a few days.

Sighing contentedly, she turned her gaze back to her bed to watch the gentle rise and fall of Spock's chest beneath her sheets, and was suddenly reminded of their first sleepover night. They'd been lovers for nearly a month before they'd actually spent a night together, taking stolen moments wherever they could find them; the most memorable had been the first time in his office when they'd cleared the desk in rather spectacular fashion. The first time they'd spent the night at one of their actual home quarters had been when Spock invited her to spend a weekend with him while he had work to finish but had no desire to let that interfere with his promise to keep a Saturday night date with her. When he'd said it was time for bed, he'd led her into his room where Uhura had found not the blood red or sandstone coloured sheets she'd expected to mimic the landscapes of his homeworld, but a gentle meditative blue. They'd spent the night wrapped up in each other in those sheets, and Spock had told her he realized that he should have brought her there sooner, to show her that the depth of his affection went beyond a mere interest in her physical attributes.

That had been the moment Uhura knew that whatever it was they had begun together, it wasn't just good sex. Good sex, she thought with a soft snort, correction, the best sex she'd ever experienced. Whomever came up with the notion that Vulcans weren't interested in yummy naked times was clearly missing something. She'd felt him stroke her skin, his touch connecting her with him and she felt his lust, but more importantly she felt his love long before they'd each found the courage to use that label on their feelings.

'You are awake.'

Uhura started, blinking in the gentle light as she saw Spock's dark eyes open and focus on her. 'So are you.'

'Why? I thought our lovemaking had put you into a mental and physiological place of relaxation and restfulness.'

'I was thinking about you, about us. Our anniversary is coming up and I think it's making me sentimental.' Uhura crossed back to the bed, climbed in to rest her head on his chest. Automatically, Spock's arm came around her body to hold her close. 'I was thinking about the first time we spent the night in bed together.'

'It is one of my fondest memories of the early days of our courtship,' Spock agreed, absently kissing her temple. 'But I still look upon our first social engagement-'

'On Earth we say a first date.'

'Our first social date,' he compromised, 'as the true microcosm of our relationship.'

'Really?'

'I had been concerned that our cultural differences would make for awkwardness, that we would discover our attraction was merely physical and that we would soon tire of one another's company if that were the case. However, that concern was obliterated by your telling me that you were just as nervous as I was, and then you showed me how much we had in common. And I tried something new, which is not always easy for me.'

'Vulcans like tradition, but all traditions have to begin somewhere.'

'This is most assuredly true.'

'Wait, what did you try that was new?' Uhura asked him, her brow knitting in confusion. 'I mean, besides the fact that I'm the first and only Terran woman you've seduced.'

'On Vulcan the word _seduce_ is a vulgar term, as it has many negative connotations of manipulation and deceit.'

'You're avoiding my question.'

'Are you inferring I am a liar?'

The growl in his voice was so unlike anything Uhura had heard before that she sat up in concern. 'Spock, you're incapable of lying, why-'

'First there was your assumptive accusation I wished to break our bond that could only be classified as, to use your Earth-word, _ridiculous_ and now you are insinuating that I am keep more secrets from you.' Spock flung back the covers, rose to pace naked beside the bed. 'If this is what human jealousy feels like, thank god for my father's blood in me so that I don't constantly feel like I am under attack from the inside out.'

'Spock,' she tried again, jumped when he grabbed at the sides of his head, his eyes full of distress and he yelled in frustration.

'I cannot handle this! This is far too much, these emotions are constantly running into each other inside me, all fighting for control when I have none!'

'Spock!'

Uhura was out of bed in a flash, crossing to him and ducking when his arm swiped out to keep her from getting to close; she popped up in front of him and grabbed his face in her hands, kissing him violently. His arms dropped to his sides, then clutched at her biceps; she squeaked a little when she felt the sharp nip of his teeth on her lip, and the squeak turned into a moan when one of his hands with his clever slender fingers found their way between her thighs. She was already half out of her head for him when he shed her robe off her body, fingers crushing into her skin as both refused to break the kiss.

It was he who finally broke apart from her, nearly hauling her up to the tips of her toes when he took hold of her shoulders once more. 'Nyota,' he muttered, his dark eyes burning hot in the dim light of the room, 'what…why?'

'This is what we talked about, my love, putting your blood fire to good use.' Uhura licked her lips, tasting the traces of his mouth there. 'You're not frightening me. Here, do you feel that?'

She took his hand, pressed his palm between her breasts so he could feel her heart thundering against her ribs. The look in his eyes changed ever so slightly, and Uhura knew he understood that she wasn't afraid and that saying so wasn't a lie to reassure him.

Spock inhaled deeply through his nose; he could sense the change in her scent - she was indeed aroused, a baffling development but not an unwelcome one given their current circumstances. He moved his hand to cup her breast, drawing his thumb over her dark nipple and felt her tremble; his other hand moved up her body to give her other breast the same attention, moving closer so she could feel his own arousal against her body. 'I feel everything with you, Nyota, love above all else. But more than anything, I feel the need to possess your body right now.'

'Then take me,' Uhura whispered back to him, attaching her mouth to the base of his throat, grazing his skin with her teeth. 'I want you to take me, Spock, I want it to be hard..and uncompromising…and…hot…'

Unable to put up a fight any longer, Spock grabbed Uhura's face in his hands, and taking a moment to see the love in her eyes, he crushed his lips to hers as his hands ran down her back to her ass to lift her up and sink her onto his hardened member - the adrenaline and hormones running rampant through him had made his arousal almost instantaneous - before manoeuvring them to her bedroom wall where he braced them so when he gave a hungry aggressive thrust of her hips and hit every sweet spot he could find, his weight kept her at the exactly right height so his mouth could stay fused with hers.

He could feel the anger ebb away to be replaced by pure lust and need and all the human desires he was usually able to keep in check and let surface of his own volition. Now it was the animal side of human nature in charge, combined with his Vulcan DNA that was taking him into a place where there was no logic or reason, just feeling. And everything he felt flowed from him into her, making her response to him even more heightened.

Uhura wasn't sure she could see anymore; she was certain her mind was gone after feeling the bond formed with him from his touch to her skin; aggression, certainly, but not to her - it was almost as though he were purging himself in an attempt to rid his body of so much devastation. She would gladly take it into herself, she was better equipped to handle messy emotions, but there was nothing messy in what he gave her - there was only beauty. It was the kind of beauty found in a raging volcano, violently passionate, stunningly powerful and truly awesome. The image of fresh flowing lava rivers raced through her mind as the orgasm shook her like an earthquake; Uhura clenched around him as the glorious release he gave her took her into a whole new realm of sensation.

'I love you,' she all but sobbed into his ear as he showed no signs of slowing down, 'I love you so much.'

'My heart, my only one,' he replied in Vulcan, and emptied himself into his love.

Spent and now fully sated as their previous couplings of the night hadn't been able to do, they slithered down the wall to the floor, tangled together. Only the sound of their laboured breathing filled the streamlined quarters, until Spock began to laugh.

'Nyota,' he chuckled, 'I think that is what humans would view as pure animal fucking.'

'Nope.'

'No?'

'On Earth, there is no words for what that is we just did,' Uhura chuckled, 'and it's weird to hear you use that word, fucking. It sounds unnatural coming from you.'

'It feels very unusual to say it,' Spock agreed, then reached up his hand to brush Uhura's dark hair off her brow; he loved seeing her eyes in moments like this. 'There is one thing we've left untouched.'

'Oh, God, Spock.' Uhura somehow found the energy to shake her head in protest. 'I don't think anything wasn't touched.'

'There was something I mentioned, that you gave me as a first I did not expect, and I did not follow through explaining myself.'

'Oh yeah.' Hadn't that been the trigger to the whole arguing thing that then turned into the most mind-blowingly passionate sex of their relationship, she wondered. 'Yeah, you did say something about that first date. Guess I kinda side-tracked you, huh?'

'I know it is unintentional, Nyota,' Spock admitted, 'added to which, a side-effect of my current condition is temporary forgetfulness. No, the first you gave me was eating pizza.'

Uhura sat up like a reanimated mummy. 'You hadn't tried pizza before that night?'

'It is an odd thing to bake bread with toppings on Vulcan. We always add ours later, much in the way Earth people add spreads to toast.'

'But…how…why didn't that come up before?'

'Because I decided that it was unimportant in the larger scheme and design of the evening.' Spock sat up with her, touched his fingertips to her cheek. 'That first…date, that was a very special night to me, not only for trying what I consider the most supreme of Earth's culinary delicacies, but the fact that it was the first time I'd gone on a date with a human woman who accepted every part of me. I knew there was something special about you when we first met as professor and student but when we went to that pizza restaurant I was suddenly able to give a name to what it was I felt with you.'

'What's that?'

'Compatibility.' Spock smiled at her. 'So often when I think of my parents, I could never understand as a child why my Earth-born mother caused so much distress amongst the most prideful of Vulcans, and you may trust when I say that is indeed an emotion we exhibit unequivocally. What I saw at home, the way she and my father interacted, was logical to me. She was eager to learn about our customs as much as she was eager to share her knowledge of Earth with residents of Vulcans. Likewise, my father was a great tutor to her and a great student of hers to learn of Terran customs.'

'You think what we have is like what they had.'

'I do, very much,' Spock replied. 'You…you have given me humanity I did not realize I wanted or needed in my life, and I believe I gave you something special in return as well.'

'Every day,' Uhura agreed, then using the edge of her bedside table for leverage, pulled herself to her feet while Spock did the same. 'Think I'm finally ready for some sleep.'

'Agreed, Lieutenant.'

Spock pressed his mouth tenderly to her swollen lips, waiting for Uhura to slip beneath the sheets before he joined her. He felt her move close to him, and for the first time in as many days, Spock finally felt like his usual self as he drifted into a well-earned dreamless sleep.


	8. Morning in the Med-Bay With Bones

The day of their anniversary, Spock awoke before Uhura and silently slipped from her bed to the sonic shower, then dressed in his spare set of clothes before taking a short breath and opening his communicator to hail Bones. As expected he was met with the good doctor's usual snarky greeting.

'Spock, do you have any idea what the hell time it is right now?'

'Time is but a social construct, Doctor, as each planet in the universe has-'

'Shut up and tell me what you want.'

'An odd paradox that I shall chose to decipher a different time. I am in need of an emergency consult if your schedule allows for such at this time. I would prefer the consult take place in my quarters, if possible.'

Spock waited as patiently as possible, envisioning Bones dragging his hand over his face as he was wont to do when thoroughly frustrated at being incapable of refusal. When he felt the blistering red of annoyance turn into the dark crimson of anger, Bones' voice came loud and clear over the comm.

'I don't do house calls, Commander, you wanna see me, get your pointy ears down to med bay in fifteen minutes.'

'Very well.'

Spock closed his communicator, turned back towards the bed to see Uhura still sleeping soundly so he fetched a memo-cube from her desk and recorded a quick message to her entirely in his mother tongue; he knew she would appreciate the intimacy of it. When he slipped out quickly and sealed the door, Spock was so lost barely registering the faces of the night-shift crew members yawning widely as they made their way to their quarters, until he took note of Sayuri and Chekov walking hand in hand towards the latter's living space which he'd just received on the officers' level. Spock waited until he was in the lift before he let himself smile a little at the sight of Chekov pressing his lips to Sayuri's cheek and making her laugh as he'd uncoded the door. Witnessing such open displays of human emotion were not entirely foreign to Spock even before his relationship with Uhura had moved from collegial to deeply personal. It was often his mother's custom when he returned from school as a child, and even as an adult, to give him a squeezing hug to demonstrate her affection for him. Being on Earth initially had confounded his sensibilities until he came to realize that just as it was Vulcan nature to internalize feelings, it was human custom to express them both in deeds and words.

What the bullies he'd faced at school failed to understand, and what Spock knew now having spent so much time in their midst, was that the expression of emotion was not humanity's weakness but its strength. Humans would die for their loved ones, such was the depth of their capabilities and the motivation to keep those loved ones safe. Their problem lay in the inability to divorce logic from love in matters when it was essential to keep a calm approach.

And his current problem, Spock knew, was how he would keep his current condition private from the ship's crew. He walked into the medical bay and saw Bones already in his office, inputting notes into the mainframe judging from the way he spoke into his earpiece. Spock saw the doctor become aware of his presence, giving a nod as he finished the dictation of his notes and came out of the modest glass-walled cubicle.

'Well, Commander, what brings you to my humble barber pole?' Bones inquired; Spock didn't miss the look of genuine concern in his eyes and walked towards one of the exam rooms.

'I am aware at this early hour it is highly illogical but what I wish to speak to you about is a matter that requires the utmost discretion.'

'Nurse Chapel will be on shift shortly,' Bones replied, and sighed thinking of how their one-on-one breakfast he knew she'd bring from the mess hall would be little more than a pretty daydream given he had an unexpected patient now. He loved spending time with her just the two of them, letting himself daydream a little that they were having a proper morning-after breakfast-date in those moments. But today's moment would have to apparently be put on hold. 'Why don't we use one of the exam rooms?'

'If it pleases you, you have my permission to make up a chart as I will be asking you for pharmaceutical intervention.'

Now Bones' eyebrows nearly crashed through the first dozen floors above the med bay; somehow he kept his voice clear and steady, and most importantly free of judgment as Spock sat on the exam table and Bones lowered himself into the rolling foot chair to sit opposite him as he would with any other patient. 'Wow, this must be serious, Commander. What can I help you with?'

Inhaling deeply as he might when plunging into frigid waters, Spock closed his eyes and steepled his fingers together as he summoned as much patience as he could muster, then heaved out his breath in a short huffing sigh. 'I…I am near the peak phase of _pon-farr_ and am requesting any medical interventions you might have so that I might stabilize my functionality for the next sixty hours.'

'Wow, um, okay.' It was the last thing Bones expected to deal with before oh-eight-hundred, but he took his oath as a physician seriously and would do his utmost to treat his patient with all his talents. 'What…I thought Vulcans usually have their own methods of handling that time. I mean, I know how private it is for you guys. Is…is it okay for me to give you drugs even at your request?'

'My physical being is in distress and there are upcoming events which require I not be as such. Therefore, seeking out a doctor's counsel on relieving said distress is a logical sequence of action.'

'Can't argue with you there,' Bones agree and pulled out his PADD along with a tricorder to perform an initial exam; when he had the necessary details, he gave a curt nod. 'Well, your blood pressure and heart-rate all seem to be in a normal range right now. Neural-wave output is spiking up, but given how much you are sharing right now, that's no surprise that system is being taxed. Care to share what it is you need to stay level for? Might help me pick a better poison for you.'

'It is the anniversary my first…date with Nyota,' Spock said with only the slightest of hesitations; he was after all talking to Bones and the last thing he wanted was to snap needlessly at the doctor since he held the solution to his current predicament. 'We will honour six years of courtship tomorrow evening.'

'Six years, wow. My wife and I barely made it three. In fact, we've spent more time as a bitterly divorced couple than we did as happy newlyweds.'

'That is unfortunate, Doctor,' Spock said, and Bones shook his head as he prepped a hypo-syringe for drawing a blood sample.

'Don't give me sympathy, Spock, that's scarier than the idea of you needing some boosters so you won't go bananas during date-night fun time.'

'Doctor…' Spock tilted his head to the side, trying to find the correct phrasing. 'Do Earth women enjoy rough sexual relations?'

The small vial of blood clattered to the floor, thankfully remaining intact, as it slipped from Bones' numb fingers. Straightening up to his full seated height he blinked in confusion. 'Wanna run that by me one more time, there, pal?'

Spock repeated his question, this time adding on, 'Last evening, or perhaps as it occurred a few short hours ago, my…the symptoms of my condition caused me to be rough with Nyota but her response wasn't fear as I anticipated but rather arousal.'

'Some girls like the hard stuff,' Bones admitted, 'but seeing as how I really don't wanna hear a blow-by-blow account of you and the lieutenant in bed together-'

'We used her wall, if you desire full accuracy.'

'Fucking hell,' Bones muttered, his overheated imagination trying to replace the mental image of the Vulcan commander and his human girlfriend with himself and a certain blonde nurse who'd be appearing any minute. 'The point is, Spock, sometimes women like it that way to clear out their emotions. If they're having a bad day, a fight with a friend or a family member, if everything on shift that can go wrong does go wrong, sometimes they just like to get in touch with their inner animal to burn away the dregs of whatever is making them feel bad.'

Spock thought of Uhura's misguided notions that he'd unintentionally planted in her mind and her desire to mate with him as a means to purge them both of the messy hurricane of emotions in the soul.

'That does appear to be an accurate description of last evening's events.' He paused a moment, remembering the codes and protocols of male bonding, and added, 'very satisfying events, I might add.'

'Don't do that, it's weird,' Bones groused, still trying to get his own mind from the gutter. 'Hearing you trying to guy-talk gives me the willies. Just tell me to get bent in Vulcan-ese or something.'

'To what end?'

'Never mind.' Bones waved it off, rolled away on his chair to scan the database of the pharmacy on his PADD. 'Are you looking to quell the symptoms entirely or just manage them enough to get you through date night in one piece?'

'Management,' Spock decided, thinking of the potential to revisit a night of passion like the previous night. 'It would be most appreciated by both myself and the lieutenant to not seem as though the wrong type of wine at dinner is cause for a hysterical episode.'

'Clearly you've never met my ex-wife.' Bones rose, fed the vial of Spock's blood into the table-top analyzer and turned back while he waited for the results. 'But if you really feel the need to do some manly bonding, what have you got planned for the big night?'

'I believe that sharing such details breaks the bonds of my relationship with Nyota.'

'Consider it doctor's orders and since I'm asking as a doctor, I'd be violating my oath as a physician if I tell anyone else.'

'That is rather cunning of you, Doctor McCoy.'

'Well I know a man looking to unload his mind. Saw it on my daddy's face every time he dealt with surly old farmhand who thought he knew more'n my pops about our horses.'

Spock filled him in on the details and saw Bones' quick grin along with an approving nod. 'Do you believe she will find it an acceptable evening for this particular occasion?'

'I think she will be dazzled, and that's a very good thing. Did you get her a bauble?'

'A what?'

'You know, some type of jewellery or trinket to commemorate the event.' Bones held up his hand to show off the pinky ring he invariably sported. 'See this? My daddy got this from his daddy when he graduated from veterinary school and then he gave it to me when I got my M.D. Something like that.'

'I do have an item selected that I believe will carry a great emotional significance, both for myself as the giver and her as the receiver.'

'As long as you don't phrase it like that, I'm sure she will love it.'

The analyzer beeped, making Bones return his attention to the task at hand, and he gave a brief nod. 'Well, this says you've got no blood disorders to worry about, nor do you have any detectable hormone imbalances. That being said, given what I remember about Vulcan physiology I do have a few tricks up my sleeve that will help you out.'

'Doctor, how can you carry things in your sleeve? A highly impractical method of storage.'

'Now that's more like it. Come with me.'

Bones gestured for Spock to join him in the dispensary where he keyed in the code for the exemplar cabinet and pulled out two separate sample vials; one was a murky purple, the other a crystal-green. 'Green one is nitro-based chloro-diazepoxide, fast acting and long lasting but only meant for short-term use.'

'It seems a large dose for such a short space of time,' Spock observed.

'I'm going to divide it into two micro-hyposyringe doses for you. Take one about an hour before you meet Uhura for date night, should last about eight hours.' Bones held up the other vial. 'This one, though, this is a concentrated dose of Tantalusian valerian and it an extremely potent sedative taken orally. You'll barely be aware you swallowed it before you're knocked out. Use it once you're home from date night because your symptoms will be back and they'll be in their peak. It should easily give you about ten to twelve uninterrupted hours of sleep.'

'Your assertions are correct about my physiology,' Spock agreed as Bones divided the medicines into the appropriate vials, absently picked up the valerian concentrate to study the suspicious liquid. 'I'm certain you are familiar with the Vulcan aversion to pharmaceutical intervention in many medical situations-'

'I once delivered twins via C-section to a Vulcan woman and she had no pain killers, so while I'm familiar with it, I don't get it,' Bones interrupted, loading the micro vials and slipping them into a discreet carrying case.

'Nevertheless, the last thing I wish to do on such an important occasion with Nyota is risk the ruination of a lovely night by letting my emotions overpower my conscious self. It is not that I wish to numb myself to the joyous with her, but I do not wish to let that which could derail the pleasantness interfere.'

'I certainly understand that, it- oh shit, shit shit, here give me that.'

Bones yanked the vial from Spock's hand, quickly slipped it into the case and held his finger to his lips in a stay-quiet gesture. Spock cocked his head to the side, and heard the rustling movement in the reception area of the medical bay of a newly arrived person along with the faintest aroma of candied lemon; he felt a sick punch in his gut he knew to be akin to sudden onset panic as his overheated brain quickly locked on to Bones' thought process. 'Doctor-'

'Leave it to me,' he muttered as they walked out together, Bones discreetly slipping him the case which Spock took in slight confusion; the matter was clarified when they saw Christine with two take-away containers, set them down beside each other on the in-take desk beside a tube of orange juice and a thermal cup of coffee, judging from the aroma. 'Nurse Chapel, you didn't have to bring me breakfast, you know.'

'I figured when I didn't see you first in line for Delta-colony omelettes with hash browns in the mess hall, you must be here because there was no way you'd sleep late when that was on the menu.' Christine smiled brightly with confusion clouding her eyes at the sight of Spock in the med-bay. 'Commander, what brings you here?'

'Our favourite Vulcan needed a consult and wouldn't take no for an answer,' Bones replied, making Spock hold his breath in anticipation of Christine's usual inquiries into the goings-on of the medical bay. He let it out slowly when she merely shrugged and opened her to-go container revealing a sandwich she sniffed at in delight.

'If you could spare me the details until after I've eaten, that'd be swell. I mean, I love my job but I love breakfast more right now,' she told them, sitting down at the desk and digging into her meal with gusto. 'Anything I can help with once I'm done?'

'No, but thank you for the offer,' Spock replied, giving the doctor a look of deep gratitude and catching a glimmer of an emotion in Bones' face as he looked towards Christine that he could not identify. 'I shall leave you to consume your morning meals in peace before your duty shifts commence.'

'Thanks.'


	9. Date Night Prep

Spock left the medical bay, moving quickly to return to his own quarters to stow the case of medicines in his lavatory cabinet; he emerged to find his PADD chirping noises and answered the vid-chat coming from Uhura. 'Good morning, Lieutenant.'

'Morning. How come you got up so early? Kinney is doing made-to-order omelettes with Delta-colony eggs, and I know you like those, I figured we'd eat together.'

'I desired to speak to the doctor about alleviating my current physical symptoms,' he replied, 'and-'

'And you didn't want to invite any more questions by arriving there later,' Uhura concluded on a nod. 'Well, in any case, happy anniversary.'

'A happy anniversary to you as well.'

'What time will I be seeing you?'

'I would like you to join me at the holodeck for our evening plans at approximately nineteen-hundred-forty five.'

Uhura grinned, and Spock felt his libido bubble in delight. 'Anything I should wear?'

'Something American citizens would define as cocktail appropriate. Once we are in the holo-program, your attire will change accordingly.'

'Should I bring my gift for you with me?'

'Yes, most definitely,' Spock told her as he noted the incoming transmission from Kirk requesting he report to his ready-room. 'Forgive me, but the captain is requesting my presence-'

'Go, go, I'll see you tonight.' She winked at him. 'I love you.'

'I love you also, Nyota. I…I am looking forward to this evening.'

'Me too.'

Uhura ended the call, then drumming her fingers in thought, sent a text to Christine - _big anniversary date tonight, wanna help me get ready?_

 _You couldn't keep me away_ was the almost instantaneous reply, then followed up with _does that include picking out fancy undies? Cause that's kinda weird._

It made Uhura laugh and the combination of knowing it was a special night with her man and getting to have girl time with her best friend as she readied herself for whatever Spock had planned kept her going through her shift on the bridge until she was back in her room by eighteen-thirty.

She was just emerging from the water-shower when she heard Christine come in; sticking her head around the door-frame, she grinned broadly when she saw the silver and green case that looked more like one of Scotty's engineering toolkits. Christine was the kind of woman who embraced her femininity entirely and used it to belie her skills as a Star-Fleet officer; more than once Uhura had seen her play the damsel in distress to act as a Trojan horse for her away mission team, and watch her completely decimate any opponent who viewed her as little more than a busty honey-blonde bimbo.

'You know, you could have gone home to change before coming here,' Uhura reminded her as Christine set out her hairstyling apparatus - both women were fans of the old way of having one's coif tended to, as the automatic machines left their hair feeling stiff and unnatural - and giving her friend's blue uniform the once-over. 'Or are you here on your shift break?'

'I'm going back to med-bay to help Bones with some data input on the specimens we collected from our last away mission on that Q-class planet. Dealing with the near-miss of Tribbles really backed us up in the lab. I feel more like I'm doing my job if I stay in uniform even if I'm technically off-shift.'

'Fair enough,' Uhura conceded, then tilted her head and gave a sniff as she studied her friend's face; the light lip colour was barely a shade off her normal hue and her lashes were extra long with the addition of some mascara. 'How come you're so dressed up?'

'Dressed up?'

'You've got make-up on and you're wearing perfume. You got a hot date tonight?'

'No,' she spluttered, trying with all her might to keep from blushing rose-red and failing horribly, 'it's just my new soap, it's a new recipe, it…I thought some lemon might make it more…ugh, why are we talking about me, it's your big date night! I'm just the hired help for you tonight.'

When the nurse went red as Uhura's uniform, she turned back from wringing the remaining water from her hair into her towel to give Christine the once over and silently admonished herself. She'd been so self-involved lately worrying about things with her own relationship that she'd overlooked the possibility of her best friend actually being interested in someone. Uhura thought back to when she'd been struggling with her feelings for Spock shortly before they became romantically involved and remembered how self-involved her roommate had been with her own love life that she'd been relieved when Gaila would spend a week at a time with whatever boy she had on the line. Had she herself become that insufferable that Christine was closing herself off as a means of self protection, just as Spock had tried to do to her?

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, Uhura watched the measured actions of Christine's twitchy hands and reached for her comb from the bedside table. She knew the nurse inside-out, which meant Uhura knew when Christine was lying. 'Come on, spill it. You got plans later with a special someone?'

'No!' Christine nearly yelped it, then cleared her voice. 'No, I just figured sprucing up a little might help me feel somewhat more human, seeing as the time I'll clock off tonight from helping with Bones will make it an eleven hour day in the med-bay.'

'And then?'

'And then what? I'll probably go to the Archer and Sparrow for a cold drink with the engineering guys, then head to my place to vid-chat Tim,' she replied, referring to the ship's local-pub holoprogram that was a favourite watering hole amongst the crew once off shift. 'Diet Coke Classic and screen-time with my brother. Such is the wild and crazy life of a single girl on board this interstellar tugboat.'

'So no sexy man waiting for you to see that new lip dye, then?' Uhura asked as Christine dragged over Uhura's desk-chair to serve as a make-shift salon chair, and swallowed tightly when Christine's face nearly went purple with bashfulness. 'God, I'm so sorry, Christine, I didn't realize…I didn't think much about anyone but myself lately-'

'I think you're kind of allowed to be a little self-involved, given how special today is and that Spock has been a real dickhead lately. My shit can wait, believe me.'

'Yeah, right. You wanna talk about it?'

'Not really, I…I really don't wanna make you take care of me on your date night.'

'Chris, seriously, talk to me. I've never seen you give any guy a second look on this rocket-fuelled ship of fools that makes us all feel like we're in high school close quarters again. Has something changed that I didn't notice?'

'If I promise to tell you after date night, will you let it go for now?'

Uhura's teeth threatened to grind together, but she nodded as she sat in the chair; it still took a lot for Christine to be able to open up to people, even her, and to share something as personal as her interest in someone on board would be another big step for her to take. Instead she gave Christine's hand a supportive squeeze.

'He must be something really special if he got your attention,' she said quietly, then gasped when she saw Christine's eyes shimmer. 'Sweetie, what-'

'It's okay, Nina, really, I meant what I said about telling you later. Right now, I need to focus on you so Bones doesn't go into his southern gentleman nice-guy routine if he sees me walk into med-bay with my eyes streaming.'

'Yeah, no woman would hold up against that, whether they are gay straight purple or cross-eyed,' Uhura agreed, making Christine's waterworks shut down with a laugh.

'Alright, so do we know what the plan is for tonight? I wanna create a look here that won't be too little or too much depending on the agenda.'

'He said cocktail attire, so-'

'Oh what about that yellow sparkly one that you got as a gift from the Cygnusian delegates when you were their interpreter last month?'

'That's a little too formal.'

'What about that green one like mine?'

'You look way better in that dress, you were breaking all the boys' necks when you wore it to the reception,' Uhura told her friend, hoping it would cheer Christine up. 'Engineer Cupcake wouldn't stop checking you out.'

'Cupcake would check out a pair of breasts no matter what they're attached to.'

'Fair point.' Uhura pursed her lips as Christine worked some type of pomade through her hair, then turned on the portable drying wand; she didn't wanna push Christine despite the fact someone was obviously on her mind. Instead she let herself sink into the feel of being pampered and polished for date night, while her brain filed away the details she knew about this latest development with her bestie. 'Well, you can never go wrong with basic black.'

'True, but…okay, a thought. You guys went to the symphony on your first date, right? You still have that dress or one the same colour?'

'Same dress no, but…' Uhura frowned in thought; it had been a silver-grey dress she'd worn that night since neither black nor white had felt appropriate. It had been an apt metaphor since Spock had told her he wished for her to be his personal guest to the performance that evening. 'I think I have something in the same colour. It's grey with iridescent silver threads.'

'Perfect. Hair up or down?'

'Down. Dunno what he's got planned and down it's easier to pull up if needed.'

'Sweet deal.'

Uhura saw the far-away look come back into Christine's eyes, gave her a poke in the hip to keep her in the here-and-now. 'Tell me more about this Tribbles outbreak we nearly had, did one of them really bite a lab tech in the junk?'

Christine snorted, launching into the story that put them both at ease - the nerves Uhura hadn't realized she'd been combatting were threatening to surface. Why was she so anxious about tonight? It wasn't the idea of Spock being rough with her in bed - that part had been exceptionally fun and relieving on so many levels - nor was she concerned about her gift to him, as it was something she knew he would love.

By the time Christine was finished stroking on her various paints and powders, Uhura was certain she'd managed to tie her stomach into a square knot with nothing more than her own mind playing tricks on her. 'Christine? Do you think I'm crazy for staying with him so long?'

'Absolutely not,' was Christine confident reply as she misted on some hair-hold spray, and whipped off the towel from Uhura's shoulders. 'You look great.'

'And I bet whomever you're hoping to impress in Engineering will be under your spell once you show up at the Archer and Sparrow.'

'Still not talking about it,' Christine singsonged as she packed up her spa products while Uhura went into her bedroom to dress, breathing a small sigh of relief Uhura's guesses were so totally off-base. Still, she knew sooner or later she'd be found out and then she'd really have reason to be embarrassed, so better to put off the worrying until she'd really need it.

Fortunately, when Uhura emerged in her dress, Christine's personal drama was legitimately backburnered. 'Oh, you look amazing!'

'Yeah?'

Uhura did a little twirl, sending the cloud-like skirt floating; the deep scooping neckline was off-set with the modest above-knee hem, and she'd left her legs bare but for a thin silver band adorning her right ankle. She carried the black ballet gel-flats in one hand and her matching black clutch in the other.

'Like Goldilocks, just right,' Christine assured her as they walked out, turning in opposite directions.

Because she was down to her third strike, Uhura saw no harm in pressing her luck a little by calling down the hallway, 'And when it's your turn for date night like this, I get to put the warpaint on you!'

'Nice try,' she called back, then rounded the corner towards the medical bay while Uhura chuckled and headed towards the holodeck. She sincerely hoped her man didn't mind taking a rain check the next night because it seemed her bestie was in need of some serious girl time.

But as much as she cared for her friend, Uhura's mind was immediately on whatever surprises Spock had in store for her. _Surprise_ she thought with a snap of her fingers and raced back to her quarters to retrieve the gift she'd finished wrapping just before shower time.

Because of the backtrack, it made her perfectly on time instead of a little early and Uhura felt her heart stop just a little when she saw Spock in a traditional American suit in navy blue man-made silk with a white dress shirt and thin black tie. It took her back to the steps of the music hall, when she'd seen him waiting for her and he'd been studying the other guests arriving until his dark gaze had locked onto her and it had been like they were the only two people there.

Spock glanced over, giving her a rare smile as he saw her walking towards him. He felt the bubbling rush of joy inside as he took in the sight of her, something he'd never experienced until he'd met his beloved lieutenant. Despite logically knowing it was implausible at the moment, Spock seemed to feel like he'd been flung to the first night he'd taken Uhura on a date; her eyes looked sleek and sultry, and the scent of Terran lilac reached him moments before she did. The fragrance drew him towards her as effectively as her tender embrace and when he reached her he held up his hand to her in invitation.

Uhura reached him and wordlessly she pressed her palm to his to create the bond; she smiled as she felt her core warm, the slow burn crawling through so it reached everywhere inside.

'Hi there.'

'Good evening, Nyota.' Spock used his free hand, reached up to toy with the ends of her hair. 'You look exceptionally beautiful tonight.'

'You're pretty handsome yourself,' she replied, giggling when he broke the bond to crook his elbow in an offer of old-fashioned gallantry which she gladly accepted as they walked into the as-yet blank holodeck. 'Happy anniversary.'

'A happy anniversary to you as well,' he replied, then using the move he'd seen that morning with Chekov and Sayuri, pressed a kiss to her temple which indeed had the desired effect. Uhura smiled sweetly at him, then looked around at the white space that seemed to her like they'd stepped into a giant marshmallow.

'So what are we doing tonight?'

'We are time-travelling, to use a metaphor,' Spock replied, taking her into the centre of the room, then lifting his hand near her cheek. 'Close your eyes.'


	10. Travelling Through Hearts and Minds I

_Hi everyone! I know, right? Been a while, huh? Well, a crazy six weeks at work plus a nasty sinus infection will do that to you! Hope you enjoy this date night part one! (also, you might notice I updated this chapter bc I realized I left out a key part when I cut-and-pasted into the uploading document window!)_

* * *

Uhura did so, and behind her lids, she sensed the darkening of the room as she heard Spock's voice speak his native language to begin the program. The temptation to look around like a wide-eyed child was tempting - Spock had been her programming professor before becoming her thesis advisor as a fourth-year student, and his talents on the holodecks were known across campus for their realism - but she stayed as she was until he gave the word. She had no desire to spoil any of his hard work.

Then he was touching her brow, her cheek with his lips, and murmuring in her ear, 'Open your eyes Nyota.'

She did so and gasped as she looked around - they were in the lobby of the campus symphony hall where they'd had their first date. Every detail was there, from the way the stars looked in the night sky through the glass-domed foyer to the Tyrollean couple walking past them who were being escorted by Captain Pike towards what Uhura had assumed was a VIP lounge. Even the man serving drinks at the lobby bar had the crooked bowtie Uhura remembered from that night.

'Wow,' she exclaimed in a breathy sigh, 'this is…I can't believe you did this!'

'Given your appropriate reaction to my insensitivity towards your needs as I've been struggling with my own, I believed it was necessary to bring us back to how we became lovers and mates in the first place. To…to remind us both that at the roots of what brings us together is what makes our bond special,' he replied, fumbling his words a little as he lifted her hand to his lips in what he knew to be an ages-old gesture of affection in Earth culture. 'Even before we became who we are today as a pair-bond, you have always been special to me.'

'Spock.' Tears clogged Uhura's throat, made her vision blur; the man didn't always have the best words but when he did, they were gems. She turned her wrist so his lips grazed the inside of her wrist as she cupped his cheek in her palm. 'You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. That first moment you held my hand and I felt what you were feeling through that bond, I knew you were my one and only.'

The lights flashed and Spock took her hand from his face, let the bond form as they climbed the stairs to take their seats; flashes of the same bright colours Uhura now knew to be the visual equivalent of falling in love collided in her mind just as she knew they were doing in Spock's. She felt his hand at the small of her back to guide her to their seats where they relived that magical evening of listening to the great masters of the early twenty-first century.

Time travel wasn't always the wisest thing in the most literal sense of the concept, Spock new, but this type of time-travel was most invigorating. Just as on that first evening, Uhura clutched at his elbow when Elfman's _The Ice Dance_ was played and he felt the golden shimmering swelling in his chest, radiating outwards from his heart into the rest of his being. That had been the moment when Spock had known that his affection towards Uhura hadn't been the product of his own half-human imagination, it was indeed real.

By the end of the concert performance, and they'd gone back to the lobby his hand had stayed joined with hers, both then and now; once at the base of the staircase, Spock spun her into his arms and told her once more, 'Close your eyes, Nyota.'

'O…kay.' She did as he asked, her senses still in flux as she felt wave after wave of sensation coming from him as their bond seemed to fuse even stronger. The noise of the post-concert chatter faded away in an almost dream-like fashion and was replaced with a gentle warm wind whistling over her shoulders and through her hair as Spock's hands gently gripped her elbows. 'Where are we going now?'

'Not where, but how.'

Spock studied the angles of her face, then leaned in to touch his lips to hers, the tips of his fingers stroking delicately beneath her chin to tilt her face up to his. Around them, he felt the pace of their travelling through space pick up speed. When he drew back from her mouth, he smiled when he heard the delighted sigh escape her lips. 'Open your eyes, Nyota.'

Uhura blinked, then let out a little yelp - they appeared to be floating in space; the floors, ceiling, walls of the concert hall were gone and were replaced with millions of stars. She saw the rushing past of purple nebulas and the Lithobates constellation, a surefire signifier of where in the universe they were located. 'If I remember correctly, we are in the galactic corridor between Earth and Vulcan, right?'

'Affirmative,' Spock agreed with a slow nod. 'More importantly, we are inside myself.'

That one had Uhura giving him a look. 'Uh, what?'

'This-' he waved one of his hands towards their surroundings '-this is what I felt when we shared our first kiss. I felt like I'd lifted off earth and was rushing through the universe towards something that made me happier than I ever thought possible.'

'Spock, you overwhelm me,' she murmured to him, tracing the tip of her index finger over the centre of his lips. 'How…how are you able to tell me all of this?'

'Because when I am with you, just us in moments like this, I do not feel the need to hide as I once did.' Spock kissed her brow once more. 'When we are in public, or even privately in the presence of others, propriety must be observed but when we are alone…when we are alone I do not feel the usual Vulcan compulsion to keep my emotions hidden from you. Added to which, being in the intermediate phase of _pon-farr_ means that my emotions are much more uninhibited.'

'Wait, if you're in the intermediate phase, how are you holding it together right now?'

'I…I made a visit this morning to Doctor McCoy as his patient, and he gave me some medication so that our evening together would be enjoyable. I had no desire to put you in a position where you feel the need to be my monitor on what should be the most special evening of the year for our relationship,' Spock explained, and would have gone into a detailed recounting of what prescriptions Bones had given him had it not been for Uhura kissing him once more.

'Spock I love you, all of you. If you're truly feeling that off, we could have postponed our plans, I don't mind.'

'Nyota, I love you as well, and it is because I love you that I do not want to postpone this evening for us. We…we need this, to borrow one of your Earth phrases.'

'That's very true. So…' Uhura looked around, instinctively wanting to duck out of the way as they seemed to careen towards a large glowing star, then veered to the left at the last moment into safety. 'We've been to the music hall on our first date, what comes next?'

'Our first dinner as a pair-bond.'

Now her eyes went greedy and wide; she'd never forget where she'd taken him after the concert. 'You didn't.'

'Indeed I did. Just watch.'

She did and grinned with unabashed glee as the rushing past of stars slowed; the cosmic swirls and shapes began to take on more earthly forms, until there were on the waterfront wharf in a small neighbourhood far enough away from the Academy campus they would not likely run into anyone who could feed the gossip mill. The sky was the hazy meld of purple orange and blue of almost-sunset and the air carried the sweet promise of springtime while sparrows singing in the air ushered people on their travels in the tourist-friendly area.

The restaurant itself had been not much to look at on the outside - it wasn't flash or obvious like some popular places in San Francisco, just a simple converted corner-house with the trademark rounded gables of the city's style, painted a welcoming mint green and a hanging clap-board sign that read _Surf City Pizzeria._

'As I recall, I remembered my father doing this with my mother when they would engage socially-' Spock offered his crooked arm to Uhura '-as a means to show her affection while remaining dignified in public.'

'And as I recall, I remember being so impressed by your willingness to demonstrate affection like this in public so I happily accepted it,' Uhura replied, looping her arm through his as he held open the door for her and they entered; upon being promptly seated, they were immediately greeted by the head chef who made a great fuss over them and congratulated them on their special day, that he had something extraordinary planned for them. When he'd returned to the kitchen once more, Uhura gave Spock a look.

'That's new,' she snickered, and Spock had to crack a smile at her amusement.

'It occurred to me as I was coding this program, that when we did partake in our first meal together that we came here because we felt the need to conceal our engagements to maintain measures of privacy lest either of us risk our respective positions. Now that both our relationship and our positions in Star Fleet have evolved, I felt certain liberties could be taken so that we might feel a certain level of celebration here.'

'I like it very much.' Uhura looked around, smiling in appreciation. 'I have to say, I'm impressed, I had no idea you remembered this so well.'

'Of course I remembered, it was a rather remarkable night for both of us. The finer points of the evening are well-stored in my mind.'

Spock reached out, took her hand to play a little with her fingers. He'd come to enjoy that little earthly pleasure he'd often seen other pair-bonds perform when he'd awaited Uhura's return from the ladies' room at various events. On Vulcan, it would be unthinkable to touch hands or fingertips so casually; he'd once likened it to being on Earth and reaching under a woman's shirt in public to grope her breasts in public in an explanation of the nature of touch in Vulcan culture to Uhura. The first time he'd taken Uhura to meet his father on New Vulcan, he'd felt her patience strain at having to keep her natural earthly instincts in check. Here, though, in such a private setting, there was no concern of it.

She really did have beautiful hands, he mused, long fingers with a slenderness that belied their strength and conviction of purpose. Spock had found himself drawn to watching her write with her stylus, often drawing comparison with her elegance and grace in her movements to a philharmonic conductor bringing a full orchestra to life. Then, when their relationship had evolved to include a more intimate element, he'd come to crave the touch of them on his body, awakening sensations in him he'd never experienced in his private life.

'Spock?'

'Yes, Nyota.'

'Did you hear what I said?'

Spock looked up, saw her eyes were dancing in amusement; he knew that look all too well, when his lover was trying to keep from laughing at him because something in his behaviour amused her Terran sensibilities. Because it was their special night, as she'd termed it, he saw no reason to deny her the opportunity to laugh and projected what he hoped was a bashful expression. 'Forgive me, I was lost in the beauty of your skillful hands.'

Uhura had to chuckle at that one; he had such a hilarious manner when he was trying to flirt. She turned her wrist so she could link her fingers through his and gave him an affectionate squeeze. 'I asked you if you wanted to wait to exchange presents until we were in your quarters or mine.'

'That would be highly illogical, as I brought your gift with me.'

'Me too. Would you like to open yours first?'

'As we are recreating our first date on Earth, I believe it would be logical to follow Earth customs and suggest that the lady proceed first.'

'Okay.' Uhura felt her insides turn buttery-soft when he pulled a small circular box the diameter of a pocket-sized cosmetics compact; it was made of polished black stone that appeared weighty but was light as paper in Uhura's hands as she accepted it. Finding the clasp, she lifted the lid and felt her eyes bug from her head. 'Holy shit!'

She lifted the necklace out to hold it to the light, loving the way it sparkled. The chain was just a chain, it was the pendant that was the focus, a beautiful turquoise stone flecked with black specks and silver threads fashioned into the shape of a diamond set in finely worked silver.

'Spock, it's gorgeous! Thank you so much!'

'It was my mother's.'

Uhura's heart gave a squelch in her chest as she looked up, saw the memories stir in his eyes. 'Spock, I-'

'It was given to her by my father as a gift upon the sixth anniversary of their marriage. My father gave it to me after her death, saying that she once told him that I should give it to someone who accepts me exactly as I am.' Spock reached out to take her hand once more, and pressing his palm to hers made the bond with her; he watched the tenderness he felt flow into her eyes. 'Yes, exactly that.'

'I love it, and I love you.'


	11. Travelling Through Hearts and Minds II

Uhura rose from her place in the booth to sit beside him, and holding out the necklace, she turned in invitation for him to put it on her. She thought her heart might pound clear out of her chest the way both his words and his gentle touch on her skin seemed to sharpen every last one of her senses. When she heard the chain clasp fasten, she lifted the pendant delicately in her fingertips to look at it; on the back of the silver setting were the initials _AG_ and _AS_ along with the star-date of their wedding.

'It will never leave this place,' she told him, letting the pendant drop against her skin as she patted it with her fingertips, then let out a little laugh. 'Mine suddenly feels rather inconsequential.'

'Your assumption is illogical, Nyota,' Spock reassured her as she turned so she was sitting face to face with him on his side of the booth, 'as your past tokens of affection you have gifted to me have indeed been items which have taken places of honour in both my personal inventory of treasures as well as my knowledge of Earth culture. Do you not recall that for our six month anniversary you presented me with an action figurine depicting late twentieth century hero named Hendry Anna Jones?'

'Indiana Jones, whose real name is Henry,' Uhura giggled, 'you said you wanted a mythic Earth hero I respected. He reminds me of you.'

'Qualify your observation.'

'He's an intelligent college professor whose calm demeanour belies how much ass he can truly kick, and when kicking said ass, it's often in service of the greater good, like saving the world greater good.'

'Do I resemble him physical?'

'Not at all. He's very muscular, olive complexion, magnetic green eyes. You know when he walks in a room that he's got a great physique under his natty professor suits.'

'I am pleased you find me acceptable by comparison,' Spock replied, failing in his attempt to keep his expression neutral when she made a silly face at him while removing the small wrapped package from her purse. 'If I had an ego to speak of, I believe this is a time when I wound find it wounded.'

'Just open the present.'

Spock examined the boxed wrapped in recoiled foil of muted blue and silver stripes, then sent her a curious look. 'Lieutenant, I am aware that my behaviour has been distracting to you of late-'

'Ugh, just give it a rest, Spock, we've already made up plenty over it.'

'-but this parcel feels as though you forgot to fill the container before wrapping.' To prove his point, Spock gave it a little shake. 'Are you certain it's in here?'

'I am,' Uhura reassured him, her fluctuating confidence in her gift returning to high tide.

Despite his skepticism, Spock shredded through the wrapping and lifting the lid off the simple purple box; his breath caught in his chest when he saw why it seemed as though she'd wrapped up nothing but air.

It was an antique flight patch, used centuries before the creation of Star-Fleet to signify the members of an aerospace mission crew member. Each flight program had been named for the ancient Greek gods or some other legendary figure, with this one holding particular significance to him. The patch was almost fifteen centimetres in diameter made of white fabric and sewn to a small sash of amethyst purple satin. Emblazoned on the badge was the image of a golden-haired woman in a draping white dress clutching an olive branch in one hand and holding her left hand in the Vulcan salute while over her shoulder was slung an archer's bow made of a rainbow. Spock's thumb ran over the letters embroidered with the same shade of purple as the sash, his throat going thick with emotion.

'Iris seventeen,' he murmured, then lifted his gaze to Uhura's. 'This was the first Earth mission to reach Vulcan and make contact with my home planet. How…how did you acquire this?'

'It's from my mother too.'

Off his startled look, she felt her words stumble out of her mouth. 'It…my mother's family is descended from Mae Carol Jamison, the first woman of colour in space, and her journey inspired a couple of my ancestors, and then another one of my ancestors was part of this mission, her son was the first person to join Star-Fleet, so anyone who has been through the Academy receives this as a graduation gift. Now I'm with you and I thought it'd be nice to bring it full circle.'

'Nyota.' Now Spock lifted her hand to his lips once more. 'How could you ever think this would pale in comparison to what I have offered as a gesture of my affection for you?'

'I dunno, I just…I get nervous sometimes about talking about family stuff, since you're still dealing with a lot of loss from your mom's death.'

'I prefer to view it that I am making her proud by living in a fashion she would find most agreeable.' Spock paused, then offered a rare teeth-flashing smile. 'I have a career that brings me great fulfillment, companions who remind me to embrace my humanity rather than see it as a deficit, and a female without whom I might not be truly happy.'

'As do I,' she agreed, then kissed his cheek lightly before returning to her side of the table just as a server brought two medium size pizza platters. 'And it looks like dinner is served.'

He'd thought of everything, she realized, as was his style - he'd picked the same personal sized pizzas they'd had on their first trip to the restaurant; for him, it was the Margherita made with the finest essentials of pizza-building and for her it was the prosciutto with cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. Uhura had remembered he was a vegetarian and so she'd been thoughtful in her selection of what she'd chosen as a topping, as she'd witnessed his reaction when he observed humans eating copious amounts of meat. But she'd also chosen it to show him that while she did like her bacon and burgers, and especially turkey, she would be considerate of his dietary preferences too.

Dining into a slice, she lifted it and grinned proudly. 'To wonderful memories made.'

'And many more yet to be made.' Recognizing this as a variation of a toast usually done on Earth with beverages, Spock chose his own slice and gently tapped the tapered edge against hers. 'I believe as well, it is customary to have wine with a celebratory meal, however I believed it logical to save it for the moment in the evening when it will mean the most.'

'That is a very logical choice,' Uhura agreed, then bit in with gusto; her eyes rolled in automatic pleasure as the tomato sauce and cheese burst with small explosions of flavour on her palate. 'Oh, yum. Yummy, yum yum. This is like eating sex with you, and I mean the good kind, like that kind we had when you put those _pon-farr_ ebbs and flows to good use.'

She paused halfway through selecting her second slice, gave her lover a considering look. 'This medication that McCoy gave you, how long is it supposed to last?'

'Doctor McCoy gave me two doses, I have only taken one so may I infer the one currently in effect is the one you mean?'

'Yeah, I mean, if it's this effective why not use it all the time?'

Now Spock nearly fidgeted, but remembered her questions were born of concern for his well-being so he put aside the instinctive answer and replied with honesty. 'The medications Doctor McCoy prescribed for me are temporary solutions. I did not wish for them to infringe on our special evening. Once tonight is done, I shall return to my traditional regimen.'

'I understand.' That alone was proof enough for Uhura as to how deep Spock's love for her went - she'd seem him reset his own dislocated shoulder on an away mission with nary a painkiller in sight. Smiling at him, she lifted her slice and made a show of taking a generous bite. 'Somehow, it's even better than the first time around.'

'Agreed,' Spock replied and allowed himself a smile. 'I dare say the natural human insecurities that plague a pair-bond in the initial stages of Earth mating rituals.'

'Will those medications have an impact on our mating rituals later?'

'Potentially, it…ah, I understand. You query is meant to imply whether or not my blood-lust will become apparent during the physical act of love-making this evening.'

'Precisely,' she replied, her dark eyes twinkling in such a way that both put Spock at ease and aroused his libido.

'It is difficult to give a precise time on the clock, as it is undetermined how long our meal consumption will take and how long it takes to go through the final part of our holo deck date.'

'There's more?' Uhura set her slice down, gave a little laugh. 'How…how can there be more?'

'We have recreated our first social engagement as a pair-bond, our first dinner as a pair-bond and now we must recreate the other moment of our relationship that is key. Are you satisfied with your level of nutrition consumption?'

Uhura nodded, her tummy turning acrobatic tricks now in curious anticipation. Dabbing her mouth delicately with her napkin, she held out her hand to him as she slid from the booth. 'I'm very satisfied indeed.'

'Very well.'

Rising, Spock pressed his palm to hers and they walked out of the restaurant into the purpling-blue twilight, the warm wind teasing their skin. He hoped his nerves over the final part of his program for them would both impress and seduce her; funny, he was just as nervous now as he was that first time he'd taken her to this special place. Standing on the boardwalk overlooking the historical Pier 39 amusement park and beach, Spock drew his love in front of him and flicked his fingertip down her chin.

'Close your eyes again, Nyota.'

'Okay.'

Uhura did so yet again, understanding this was the voice-command to change modes in the program; the fragrance of water remained as the whispering rush of the ocean faded and gave way to a damper atmosphere and Uhura could detect the scent of lush vegetation along with it. She shuddered delicately, squeezing Spock's hand tightly as the hard stone beneath her feet suddenly went soft.

'Can I open my eyes now?'

'Yes.'

Spock watched her eyelids retract, the way they lit up as she realized the place where he'd brought her for the final part of their date tonight. The tall ancient redwoods formed a canopy so broad that they blocked out the overhead sun and made the air beneath heady and warm. Vines and brush and plants of all types twined up the thick trunks and over the forest floor to form a nearly perfect hidden alcove amongst the hiking trails still so popular.

'Muir Woods,' she murmured, licking her lips and remembering the date they'd had here with utter clarity. Uhura had always been a little surprised that they'd only been there once in their entire relationship, as they were both very outdoorsy people yet it suddenly struck her that it was something they'd never revisited. 'It's been ages since we have been here, the real one or a simulated one.'

'There is a reason I have kept it so,' Spock replied, drawing Uhura close in his arms. With one hand on the small of her back he pressed his other hand to hers, let what the medication couldn't hide flow freely from him into her. He watched her eyes go from glittering to glowing to burning. 'Yes. You understand.'

'Very much.'

Stretching to her tiptoes, Uhura planted her mouth on his, felt herself tremble. Oh yes, Bones' treatment might have quelled the outer symptoms but the raging fire that had made them all but destroy the sheets before was still there. Yet there was also tenderness there too, something she knew Spock had in spades when no one was really looking.

But above all else, she felt that inexplicable thing from the first time they'd made the bond. It had become her constant when life in the Fleet had become so chaotic it was hard to tell one day from the next. Whenever that happened, she could always find him and find that sense of centre when she didn't trust herself.

Reaching behind her back, she took his other hand in hers, let the bond intensify; Spock could feel the lovely ripples coming through from her like streams of sunshine through cloud break until it was filling every fibre of his being.

'Nyota,' he murmured again, his lips grazing her cheek. 'Let me show you again.'

'Yes.'

It was a breathy word of surrender, as Uhura gave herself over from thinking into pure feeling. She felt his lips against her skin, their warmth and surety mirroring the heat he stirred inside her. So much was uncertain in the universe, that much she'd learned in her time as a Starfleet officer, but this…what she'd found with him was as simple as breathing and as equally vital.

Spock inhaled her scent deeply, felt whatever tension his unconscious mind was holding onto slipped away; here, in her embrace, he was able to feel without shame and let his emotions flow freely. He placed his finger under her chin, tilted her face up so he could see her eyes once more; her lush mouth trembled only a little as she moved her hands over his shoulders and down his sides. Mimicking the gesture, Spock drew back and frowned a little.

'Nyota, does this garment have no fasteners?'

'Nope.' Uhura let out a low chuckle, whispered in her best come-hither tone, 'you have to peel it off.'

'Very well.'

The laugh died in her throat as she suddenly found her dress moving upwards off her body, making her shudder as he tossed it into the trees while keeping her gazed locked with his the whole time. Suddenly aware she was standing there in merely her lingerie and shoes, Uhura gripped his jacket lapels and yanked downward as if to challenge him.

'Will it be another battle of wills,' he asked her, voice low with that growl in it that made Uhura shiver with anticipation.

'No, I just want you naked as I am.'


	12. Full Circle

_Hi everyone! So happy you have loved this story! Cannot wait to share the next one with you, which will be Kirk-centric and include one of my favourite Trek villains ever! As well, thanks for all the support from various sources for helping me continue this story! Read, review and share the love!_

* * *

Uhura looked around, gave a little laugh. 'I recall the last time we had brought a picnic blanket with us.

'And so there should be…' Spock untangled himself from his jacket, and bent low to retrieve the hiking pack he'd programmed to rest discreetly behind the shrubbery. He felt Uhura's gaze tracking him, and straightening he looked at her. 'Were you examining me?'

'Perhaps.'

He was so damn cute when trying to use Earth terms, she thought, watching as he spread out the replicated faded green cloth identical to the one from this hiking date. He toed off his shoes and socks, stepped into the centre, then held out his hand to her which Uhura gladly accepted; it formed the bond between them once more and Uhura inhaled deeply as she felt his lust surface once more.

'Come here,' she murmured, reaching out her hand and puling him close to her by his belt. When her hips bumped against his and she felt the beginnings of his arousal take physical form, she slowly slipped his belt through its loops and unfastened his pants. Her hands fluttered up and down his torso, running her fingers over his scar from the crash on Altamid and feeling the pulse of his heart there; she knew he was self-conscious of it from time to time but she knew he could also feel from her that it did not bother her.

'You are the most beautiful creature I've ever encountered,' he told her, his own slender fingers running up her back and popping the fasteners on her silky black bra. The fabric slid form her body like rainwater and he cupped her breasts against his palms; just as the first time they'd come to the woods she pressed her palms against his arms and let her head loll forward against his shoulder. When she felt his thumbs begin to circle the tip of her breasts in a tantalizing tandem rhythm, she let out a soft moan.

'Funny, I don't remember you being so shy the first time,' she sighed.

'I was indeed nervous, as one would say on Earth and I found myself using that energy to make the consummation of our intimate relationship all the more improved.'

'And here you took that medication from Bones to keep all of that in check tonight. Or was I just imagining how good it was when we made good use of my bedroom wall?'

'It was not imagination at all,' Spock replied, moving his hands over the long lean lines of her body, the subtle feminine curves he found pleasing there until he reached the panties that were her only remaining clothing. Nudging down the thin thread-like bands on her hips, he dipped his fingertips beneath the lacy edging and watched her eyes go wide and dark with lust when he played his fingers lightly over her, finding her already aroused and bringing her to a near aching point in what felt like a heartbeat. 'Yes, it was passionate and that is certainly something I look forward to this evening, but with you, there is always more, my love.'

'Yes, there always is more,' Uhura agreed, then let out a small strangled cry as he drew his fingers away and gently grazed her trigger. She thought her knees might buckle if he did it again, and with the same impatience as before took hold of the band of his undershorts and peeled them downwards to reveal his truly magnificent arousal. Uhura licked her lips in anticipation as she wriggled out of her panties so they stood naked before each other. 'Now what?'

'Now we show each other in some moments words are not needed,' he replied, making a silent vow that it be the last conscious thought either of them had.

Gripping her hips, Spock boosted her up and held her tight to his body as he knelt in the middle of their blanket, the herbaceous woody fragrance of the forest rising around them. With his lover held tight against his body, Spock lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her deeply; his tongue traced the outline of her lips, then over the smooth skin of her neck where Spock lingered to full enjoy the way he could sense her pulse begin to increase. He moved downwards to the valley of her breasts, planting kisses on the inner curve of each one and pausing only a moment to flick his stiffened tongue tip over each of her nipples. Spock lifted his head only briefly when he heard her let out a sound somewhere between a cry and a gulp, then smiled when he felt her palm against his cheek and the sensation of urgency spurring him on. His own hands found their way to her thighs where he held tight and mimicked the trusting motion against Uhura's vault, brushing over her trigger with his fully-aroused member. She made the noise again, and Spock knew his mate was indeed enjoying herself; when he felt the bloodlust rush to bury himself deep inside her, Spock fought to keep it in check.

Uhura's head rolled from side to side, the back of one hand resting near her mouth as her eyes threatened to clench shut and never open again. God, what a mouth he had, what a body; their love life was many things but dull was not one of them. Licking the tips of her fingers, she brushed them over her breasts and felt the cool breeze ride over her body, making her shudder even more which only heightened the arousal she felt for him. As her knees drew up to bracket his hips, Spock changed the rhythm on her once more, moving even further down her body and finding the hollow of her thigh with his mouth, then-

'Oh, god! Oh…oh my love…oh god yes…oh…'

Spock smiled a cat-like smile as laved his tongue over her honey-pot, inhaling her scent deeply in enjoyment. His hand blindly reached up and found her breast, massaging gently; he felt Uhura's fingers close around his hand and he let out a satisfied groan. When he parted her lips, drove his tongue inside her, he actually heard her scream in delight and felt like a god - invincible and powerful as his love all but melted beneath his touch, his mouth.

Uhura swore lightly as she felt her senses revolt against reason; however annoyed or aroused she might be with him, she was always pushed into this place of sensation by him not for his own enjoyment but because he wanted to feel it with her. Instinctively she reached down to touch herself, felt the vibration of Spock's sigh against her body.

'You wanna watch me,' she asked him as he pressed his mouth to her belly and gave her that cat-grin again; at his wordless nod, Uhura moved her hand so she was gently stroking herself, then slipped a finger into her vault. When her eyes closed as she pleasured herself for his voyeuristic enjoyment, they flew open as she felt him join her.

'You feel so beautiful, Nyota,' he told her, keeping his hand still to allow her to control how much she let him in, then murmured in her ear, 'Will this make you orgasm?'

It should have sounded ridiculously awkward, and yet from her lover to Uhura he sound so sweet and tentative, even after they'd made such blazing fiery love such a short time ago. Nodding, she licked her lips then let them for a perfect O shape as she felt Spock curl and uncurl his finger deep within her body. Her back arched as she felt the delicious friction twine through every cell, toes curling as it flooded through her like a summer storm.

'Spock, my love, I want to feel you too,' she murmured to him in his mother tongue and with a single nod, he moved so that he was positioned above her, and for a moment when he saw her with her lush mouth, body responding to his touch, raven hair fanning out behind her, Spock was certain this was what the angels of Earth's folklore looked like.

Taking her hand, he kissed her palm and lowered it between their bodies so she could help guide him in and join with her in a perfect union. As he felt that harmony all but sing through his system, Spock pressed his palm to her cheek, lowered his mouth a whisper from hers.

'With everything I am, or could be, I love you Nyota,' he murmured to her, saw her eyes fill with a shimmer of happy tears that did not spill over.

'I love you right back Spock,' she replied, unsurprised that he remembered the exact words he'd used the very first time he'd said them in this place. Which each movement of his body, she was brought back in time better than any simulated program could do - his body, his scent, his touch, all of it in this place made it feel like that moment on their one year anniversary when they'd gone on that hike and they'd stopped for lunch and had ended up making love right there in the woods, and as they'd come together he'd told her what was in his heart.

To relive that memory was more precious than anything.

Spock felt Uhura's arms come around him, to hold him close as she trembled against him, the second orgasm tumbling through her like thunder as it echoed his own; he turned his face to her throat and closing his eyes, emptied himself into her. He felt his heart pounding in his ears, the rising and falling of Uhura's breasts against his chest, the warm flood against where they remained joined. It was, as always, his favourite moment of when they engaged in physical intimacy; it was not done so according to Vulcan custom but in this particular area he was happy to follow in Uhura's Earth teachings. He'd become fond of the placid sensation, akin to floating in a warm lagoon, and for a moment he always found the peace of mind that he struggled for in his waking hours.

And as he was fond of doing, as he felt Uhura's hands stroking over his hair and shoulders, he kissed the side of her breast and gave a satisfied groan.

'Would it be accurate for me to assess that our relations moments ago were just as satisfactory as they were the first time we made the sojourn to Muir Woods?' he asked her, and Uhura giggled.

'This was way better, because at least this time we won't be-'

'Hey! What are you guys doing up there?'

Uhura and Spock both sat up, the former gasping before going numb with embarrassed shock while the latter remained calm as a millpond. A park ranger in full regalia was craning his neck to see just what they were up to in the alcove formed by the trees. But rather than scrambling for cover this time, Spock merely rose and gestured placidly.

'Sir, we will move along forthwith.'

'See you do, we've had reports of rain coming in.'

The park ranger turned and continued on the hiking trail, leaving Uhura goggling at her lover. 'What…what is he doing here?'

'I was striving for authenticity of the moment,' Spock replied, feeling the laugh bubbling up from within as he studied Uhura's face while she searched for her underwear so she wouldn't be completely humiliated according to human customs from Earth when they left the holodeck. 'My instincts are telling me that perhaps I should not have included that moment.'

'Actually, it's perfect.' Having rediscovered her dress and tugging it over her head, Uhura crossed to Spock and kissed his cheek as she passed him his pants. 'This way, we have more motivation to go back to your place and let that drug wear off before round two.'

'Oh really? Are we anticipating more blood-fire fun, Lieutenant?' When he split into a grin, she felt her belly flutter in excitement.

'I'm counting on it.'

'Well then.' Spock fastened his pants, put his shirt back on and took Uhura's face in his hands; he kissed her with a little nip in her lip. 'We better get there quickly.'

* * *

The following morning, Kirk yawned as he stepped onto the turbo lift for the bridge, praying it would be a quiet morning. He'd lost all but four of his monthly replicator rations to Chekov in a friendly game of cards and as they still had another week before the first of the month rolled around, he'd been forced to wait until he reached the mess hall for his morning quote of orange juice.

He was going over his personal to-do list in his mind - check in with the Tarsus satellite's science division, recharge communicator and PADD for real this time and not like when he thought he had overnight, send his mother an email as he'd promised and forgotten to do for nearly a week thanks to playing love doctor for his two favourite stubborn mules - when the lift doors opened with a soft _swish_ and Uhura stepped on looking equal parts exhausted and stupid with happy. She pursed her lips only a moment to keep herself from splitting into a ridiculously foolish grin in front of her captain, then schooled herself when Kirk's gaze remained focused on the doors in front of them that whisked close once more.

'So, how was the big anniversary date night last night?' he asked politely.

'Quite wonderful, thank you.' Uhura paused a moment; the captain was no dummy in the slightest, and seeing as he'd offered her advice on how to deal with her relationship issues, it felt mean to keep him entirely in the dark, given that he was also Spock's best friend. 'He programmed a reenactment of our first date. The symphony and then pizza.'

'And the…other?' Kirk inquired, hoping he didn't sound like a leering asshole or worse a callously dismissive one. His concern was allayed when he saw Uhura's face brighten like a sun, the grin immutable. 'I take it things went well, then.'

'You might say that.'

Uhura thought of the way they'd all but shredded Spock's sheets as he'd purged the bloodlust from his system three times over once they'd returned to his quarters until finally he'd agreed to be dosed with the tranquilizer to get some rest. He'd gone from Casanova on steroids to typical Earth male post-coital snoring in about ten seconds, and Uhura had been tempted to use a partial dose for herself to get some rest but she'd managed to drift off on her own for a short but satisfying five hours before start of shift.

'Lieutenant?'

'Sorry, what was that, Captain?'

Kirk chuckled; it had taken four tries to get her attention back in the here-and-now and even then she still had a sparkle in her eye. 'I was asking where Mister Spock is now.'

'In his room, sleeping it off.'

'That bad, huh?'

'No sir.' Now Uhura spoke not to her captain but her friend Jim and gave him a saucy smile. 'I'm that good.'

Kirk waited only a moment until the lift slowed and the doors opened once more, watched her walk onto the bridge with an extra saucy bounce in her step and knew her world was spinning right once more. 'Way to go, Lieutenant.'


End file.
